UC-NRLF 


II: 


II 


I 


NAVAHO    BLANKET    OF    SYMBOLIC    DESIGN,    MADE    IN    NEW    MEXICO 
(In  the  Private  Collection  of  George  Wharton  James.) 


A  LITTLE  JOURNEY 

TO    SOME 

STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 
IN  OUR  SOUTHWESTERN  LAND 

(NEW  MEXICO  AND  ARIZONA) 


FOR  HOME  AND  SCHOOL 
INTERMEDIATE  AND  UPPER  GRADES 


BY 
GEORGE  WHARTON  JAMES 


A.   FLANAGAN   COMPANY 

CHICAGO 


COPYRIGHT,  1911 

BY 
A.  FLANAGAN  COMPANY. 


PUBLISHERS  INTRODUCTION 

These  pages  record  the  imaginary  trip  into  this  most  fascinating 
portion  of  our  wonderful  country  by  a  party  of  high  school  bovs  and 
girls,  from  Chicago,  supposedly  selected  for  the  honor  because  of 
their  scholastic  faithfulness  and  attainments.  While  no  such  party 
ever  made  the  trip  exactly  as  described,  all  the  scenes,  all  the  events, 
all  the  chief  incidents  have  occurred,  at  one  time  or  another,  in  the 
author's  experience. 

The  publishers  wish  to  claim  all  the  responsibility  for  the 
changes  that  were  necessary  in  the  narrative  as  written  by  the 
author  in  order  to  make  it  conform  to  the  above  thought,  as  they 
felt  that  the  suggestions  of  actual  participation  in  the  trip  by  the 
imaginary  party  of  school  boys  and  girls  would  give  it  a  charm  and 
interest  that  otherwise  could  not  be  obtained.  Hence,  if  this  change 
seems  to  bring  the  author's  ego  into  undue  prominence  the  pub- 
lishers desire  to  take  this  responsibility  upon  themselves  and  thus 
relieve  Dr.  James  of  any  such  charge.  He  wishes  us  also  to  state 
that  he  objected  to  this  method  of  presenting  the  narrative,  as  it 
would  make  him  responsible  for  certain  anachronisms,  which  the 
'•a \vare"  will  realize,  as  some  of  the  ceremonials  could  not  possibly 
occur  in  the  order  of  time  in  which  the  following  story  places  them. 
Deeming  this  a  slight  matter  as  compared  with  the  advantages  of 
presenting  the  narrative  in  this  form  we  urged  him  to  withdraw  his 
objection,  which  he  graciously  did. 

It  should  also  be  stated  that  some  of  the  matters  herein  treated 
have  been  more  fully  discussed  in  the  author's  larger  works.  Hence 
.repetition  has  been  in  a  measure  unavoidable.  To  those  who  wish 
to  study  these  interesting  subjects  more  fully  we  have  pleasure  in 
referring  to  the  author's  list  of  books  to  be  found  on  the  last  page 
herein. 

We  feel  sure  that  the  results  will  fully  justify  our  action  and 
that  the  story  as  presented  will  give  great  delight  to  a  large  number 
of  readers,  even  outside  the  school  circle,  throughout  the  United 
States. 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 

Chicago,  111.,  March  1,  1911. 

292306 


CHICAGO,  June  10,  1910. 
Miss  LUCILE  SNOWDROP, 

Bide-a-wee  Cottage,  781  St.  Charles  Ave., 

New  Orleans,  La. 
M y  Dear  Lucile: — 

I  am  going  on  a  trip;  a  wonderful  trip;  one  of  the  most  won- 
derful trips,  I  am  told,  that  can  he  bad  in  America  within  the 
boundaries  of  the  United  States.  There  are  eight  of  us  selected 
from  the  schools  of  our  city  who  have  stood  highest  during  the  past 
year  in  our  scholarship,  and  our  expenses  are  to  be  paid  while  we 
take  this  trip  into  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  to  see  the  Petrified 
Forest,  the  Indians,  the  Grand  Canyon,  Meteor  Mountain,  the  Cliff 
and  Cave  Dwellings,  "The  Land  of  the  Standing  Kocks,"  the  Eoose- 
velt  Dam  and  many  other  wonderful  places  and  things,  as  well  as 
the  cities  and  towns  of  this  scenic,  historic  and  fascinating  region. 

Of  late  years  it  has  been  the  fashion  for  people  who  are  not 
used  to  traveling  to  go  on  excursions  with  specially  informed  guides. 
These  are  called  "personally  conducted"  tours.  Ours  is  to  be  a 
personally  conducted  party  in  more  ways  than  one.  Professor  and 
Mrs.  Marcus  Young  are  to  go  with  us  as  chaperons  and  to  have 
practical  charge  of  us,  while  the  details  of  our  trip  are  in  the  hands 
of  Dr.  George  Wharton  James,  an  Englishman  who  has  been  over 
thirty  years  in  the  United  States.  During  this  time  he  has  made  a 
special  study  of  all  the  things  we  are  going  to  see,  has  visited  them 
many  times,  and  has  written  a  number  of  books  about  them. 

Just  think  of  it.  We  shall  not  only  see  these  wonderful,  inter- 
esting and  fascinating  objects,  but  the  man  who  can  tell  us  about 
them  will  be  right  with  us  on  the  spot. 

I  am  going  to  keep  a  diary,  telling  of  all  our  doings  and  sight- 
seeings and  so  are  all  the  others  of  the  party,  and  when  we  return 
to  Chicago,  whichever  diary  is  deemed  the  best  is  going  to  be  printed 
and  made  into  a  book.  You  may  be  sure  I  will  send  you  a  copy  as 
soon  as  it  is  printed. 

This  will  be  the  next  best  thing  to  going  and  seeing  the  country 
for  yourself.  All  the  same,  I  wish  you  were  going  along.  Don't 
you?  Your  loving  friend, 

ELIZABETH  BERWYN. 


CHICAGO,  Jan.  10,  1911. 
My  Dear  Lucile : — 

How  happy  T  am !  The  committee  of  teachers  has  decided  that 
my  diary  is  the  best  account  of  our  "greatest  of  great  trips,"  and  so 
the  following  printed  pages  are  written  by 

Your  dearest  and  best  friend, 

ELIZABETH  BERWYJST. 


A  Little  Journey  to  Some  Strange 

Places  and  Peoples 
in  Our  Southwestern  Land 


(New  Mexico  and  Arizona) 


THOSE  who  have  read  the  little  journeys  to  the 
different  parts  of  our  great  country,  and  to 
various  foreign  countries,  may  be  surprised  at  the 
statement  that  this  little  journey  will  take  them  to 
the  most  wonderful,  stupendous  and  majestic  scenes 
on  the  American  Continent  and  amongst  peoples 
whose  lives,  habits,  social  customs  and  religious  cere- 
monies are  more  strange,  interesting  and  fascinat- 
ing than  those  of  any  people  on  the  face  of  the 
earth. 

Many  of  the  sights  we  shall  see  will  be  novel  and 
strange.  Some  of  the  places  we  shall  visit  are  known 
to  be  of  scenery  the  most  grand,  rugged  and  sub- 
lime in  the  explored  world.  Many  of  the  customs  of 
the  peoples  that  we  shall  visit,  and  their  religious 
ceremonies,  are  so  strange  and  so  entirely  foreign  to 
our  conception  of  what  human  beings  can  do,  that, 
did  we  not  see  them  with  our  own  eyes,  they  would 
scarcely  be  believable.  No  romance  that  was  ever 
written  by  the  most  imaginative  mind  ever  conceived 
such  wonderful  objects  and  strange  peoples  as  we 


A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 


are  aho&t.-te  see,  .Yet  the  strangest  thing  of  all  is 
that  all  "these"- places  'and  peoples  are  to  be  found 
in  the  heart  of  our  own  United  States.  The  Flag 
of  the  Free — our  incomparable  Stars  and  Stripes- 
floats  over  them  just  the  same  as  it  does  over  New 
England,  the  middle  West,  the  North,  the  South, 
and  all  the  states  on  the  Pacific  Ocean.  These  places 
and  peoples  are  American.  And  it  is  because  our 
teachers  feel  that  every  boy  and  girl  in  America 
should  know  all  that  can  be  known  about  the  wonder- 
ful things  that  America  possesses  that  we  are  now 
about  to  start  on  this  little  journey  which  we  are 
assured  will  prove  more  interesting,  funny  and  re- 
markable than  any  journey,  big  or  little,  we  have 
ever  yet  taken.  It  is  for  this  reason  also  that  we 
are  all  required  to  keep  diaries,  so  that  the  best  one 
may  be  published  for  others  to  know  exactly  what  we 
have  seen. 

There  are  several  ways  of  reaching  this  fasci- 
nating land,  but  there  is  one  transcontinental  line 
of  railway  that  runs  directly  through  the  most 
interesting  part  of  it.  This  is  the  Atchison,  Topeka 
and  Santa  Fe  Railway,  commonly  known  as  the 
Santa  Fe.  Now  that  we  are  to  go,  we  are  anxious 
to  start  as  quickly  as  possible.  So  we  board  the 
"  California  Limited"  in  the  Dearborn  Street  Sta- 
tion, Chicago,  with  our  tickets  good  for  a  trip 
through  to  Phoenix,  Arizona,  by  way  of  the  Grand 
Canyon,  and  giving  us  the  privilege  of  " stop-over," 
so  that  we  can  spend  nine  months  if  necessary 
in  visiting  the  wonderful  places  and  peoples  that  are 
before  us. 


SOME  STllAtfGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  7 

The  hour  of  our  departure  arrives.  The  con- 
ductor cries  "All  aboard!"  gives  the  signal  to  the 
engineer,  and,  as  we  wave  our  Good-byes  and  watch 
the  parting  salute  of  our  friends,  the  monster  engine 
begins  to  move,  and  our  train,  slowly  at  first,  and 
then  more  rapidly,  pulls  out  of  the  station,  leaves 


FISHER'S    PEAK    AND    TRINIDAD,    COLO. 


the  city,  and  is  soon  fairly  on  its  way  to  the  land 
of  our  dreams. 

Thirteen  hours'  ride  and  we  are  at  Kansas  City. 
Then  we  begin  our  rapid  flight  across  Kansas,  across 
the  southeastern  corner  of  Colorado,  until  we  reach 
the  town  of  Trinidad.  Here,  on  our  left,  perched 
high  above  the  city,  is  an  interesting  elevation  called 


8  A  LITTLE  JOUENEY  TO 

FISHER'S  PEAK 

which  begins  to  suggest  to  us  some  of  the  grandeur 
of  this  great  western  land.  It  is  composed  of  pum- 
mice  stone  and  other  volcanic  rock,  known  as  lava 
float,  clearly  showing  that  at  some  time  a  great  vol- 
cano must  have  been  in  eruption  in  this  region,  pour- 
ing out  floods  of  molten  lava,  which  overflowed  the 
country  adjacent  to  the  peak.  In  fact,  the  indica- 
tions are  that  there  have  been  three  such  separate 
and  distinct  lava  flows.  Where  was  the  volcano? 
Where  is  it  now  ?  And  what  kind  of  country  was  it 
at  the  time  the  volcano  was  in  eruption  ?  These  are 
most  interesting  questions,  and  the  answers  that  are 
given  to  us  by  the  scientists  are  as  marvelous  and 
startling  as  a  fairy  tale.  They  say  that  in  the  far 
away  early  days  what  is  now  Fisher's  Peak  was  a 
great  depression,  and  that  the  volcano  and  surround- 
ing country  were  raised  much  above  its  level.  It  was 
owing  to  its  being  a  valley  that  it  received  so  large  a 
deposit  of  lava  at  each  of  the  three  successive  flows. 
Then,  some  time,  in  the  long  ages  gone  by,  perhaps 
millions  of  years  ago,  fierce  storms  beat  upon  this 
volcano  and  all  the  surrounding  country,  and,  little 
by  little,  the  rocks  were  broken  up  and  washed  away 
until  the  high  parts  were  reduced  to  a  level  with  the 
valley.  Then,  as  this  reducing  process — or  "  degra- 
dation" of  the  rocks,  as  the  geologists  call  it — contin- 
ued, the  valley,  being  protected  by  these  sheets  of 
lava,  remained,  while  the  rest  of  the  country  yielded 
to  the  slow  forces  of  disintegration  and  was  washed 
away,  until,  when  the  historic  period  arrived  and 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  9 

man  appeared  upon  the  earth,  this  peak  was  found 
perched  high  up  and  isolated  above  the  surrounding 
country,  practically  as  we  find  it  today. 

One  of  the  most  wonderful  lessons  taught  by 
geology  is  that  to  Almighty  God  "a  thousand  years 


SIMPSON'S   REST,    TRINIDAD,    COLO. 

The  monument  on  the  topmost  peak  is  erected  over  the  body  of  the  poet- 
scout 


are  as  one  day"  and  that  this  world  of  ours  has 
been  hundreds  of  thousands  of  years  in  the  making. 
Fisher's  Peak  received  its  name  in  1846,  owing  to 
the  fact  that  Captain  Fisher  of  the  U.  S.  Army,  with 
a  party  of  soldiers,  got  lost  here  when  they  were 
on  their  way  to  Santa  Fe  in  that  year.  There  was 
no  clearly  defined  trail  over  the  Raton  mountains  at 
that  time,  and  they  were  led  in  the  wrong  direction. 


10  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 


SIMPSON 'S  REST. 


To  THE  RIGHT,  above  Trinidad,  is  another  interesting 
pile  of  rocks  several  hundred  feet  above  the  city. 
This  is  the  end  of  the  great  limestone  plateau  that 
extends  northward.  It  is  entirely  different  from  the 
lava  rocks  of  Fisher's  Peak  on  the  south.  If  one 
looks  carefully  he  can  see  a  small  monument  not  far 
from  the  edge  of  the  precipitous  cliff.  We  are  told 
that  this  is  named  " Simpson's  Rest"  from  an  early 
day  pioneer  named  Simpson.  He  was  at  one  time  pur- 
sued by  a  band  of  savages  thirsting  for  his  life.  He 
managed  to  elude  his  pursuers  and,  when  night  came, 
clambered  with  great  difficulty  to  the  summit  of  this 
cliff  and  for  greater  security  climbed  to  the  top  of  the 
highest  tree  he  could  find.  Here  he  sat  shivering 
through  the  cold  night,  in  constant  dread  lest  his  hid- 
ing-place should  be  discovered  by  the  blood-thirsty 
Indians  who  were  determined  to  slay  him.  Several 
times  he  dozed  off  to  sleep  and  nearly  fell  from  the 
tree.  Suddenly  he  was  awakened  by  the  falling  of 
rocks,  and  to  his  horror  he  heard  voices  which  clearly 
showed  that  the  Indians  were  on  his  trail.  Lit  by 
torches  they  came  nearer  and  nearer  until  some  of 
them  stood  directly  under  the  branches  of  the  tree 
where  he  was  sitting.  He  felt  sure  he  was  discovered. 
Breathlessly  he  awaited  the  yell  which  would  tell 
those  scattered  about  on  the  plateau  that  the  search 
was  ended.  Who  can  tell  the  delight  that  filled  his 
heart  when,  instead  of  hearing  a  yell,  he  heard  ex- 
pressions of  disappointment.  Finally,  after  a  short 
pow-wow,  the  decision  of  the  leader  was  given  that  it 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES     11 

was  useless  to  search  further.  Their  expected  victim 
had  doubtless  escaped  and  he  gave  the  command  to 
return. 

Simpson  was  so  thankful  for  his  escape  that  he 
owed  that  when  he  died  he  would  leave  money 
enough  to  secure  for  himself  a  burial  at  the  foot  of 
the  tree  which  had  afforded  him  such  a  safe  shelter 
and  near  which  a  monument  should  be  erected  to 
commemorate  his  almost  miraculous  escape. 

George  Simpson  was  a  poet,  as  well  as  a  moun- 
taineer, and  in  the  following  beautiful  lines  tells  the 
story  of  his  escape  and  his  desire  to  be  buried  in  this 
sightly  place. 

Lay  me  to  rest  on  yon  towering  height, 

Where  the  silent  cloud  shadows  glide, 
Whore  solitude  holds  its  slumbering  reign 

Far  away  from  the  human  tide. 

I  fain  would  sleep  near  the  old  pine  tree 

That  looks  down  on  the  valley  below, 
Like  a  soldier  guarding  a  comrade's  grave, 

Or  a  sentinel  watching  the  foe. 

'Twas  a  refuge  once,  in  the  by-gone  time, 

When  a  pitiful  fate  was  near, 
When  my  days  were  young  and  full  of  love 

For  a  life  I  held  too  dear. 

Thro'  all  the  long  years  that  have  passed  away 

Since  that  night  of  storm  and  dread, 
I've  prayed  that  the  boughs  that  sheltered  me  then 

Might  wavi-  over  my  dust  when  dead. 

Delve  deep  my  grave  in  the  stern  gray  rock: 

In  its  rigid  embrace  let  me  rest: 
With  naught  but  my  name  on  the  stone  at  my  head, 

And  the  symbol  of  faith  on  my  breast. 


12  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

One  mourner,  perhaps,  may  remember  where  sleeps, 
In  his  rock-bound  tomb  the  lone  dead — 

May  breathe  for  the  loved  one  to  heaven  a  prayer, 
A  tear  to  his  memory  shed. 

Dr.  James  tells  us  that  Fisher's  Peak  and  Simp- 
son's Rest  typify  the  country  upon  which  we  are  now 
about  to  enter.  It  is  a  land  of  marvelous  rock  scenery 
where  gigantic  mountains  tower  into  the  clear  blue 
heavens  of  Western  skies,  and  where  tribes  of  In- 
dians live  in  their  strange  homes,  where  stranger 
social  customs  and  most  strange  religious  ceremonies 
are  practiced  and  which  it  is  to  be  our  pleasure  to 
witness. 

At  Trinidad  an  extra  engine  is  put  onto  our 
train  for  we  have  to  climb  for  seventeen  miles  until 
we  reach  a  tunnel  bored  through  the  heart  of  the 
Raton  Mountain.  Just  on  this  side  of  the  tunnel  is 
the  state  line  between  Colorado  and  New  Mexico. 
About  a  mile  before  we  reach  the  State  line,  there  is 
a  siding  called  Wootton.  Just  below  the  railroad 
track  and  about  7000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea 
is  a  charming  little  valley  not  much  larger  than  a 
good  sized  New  England  garden,  through  which  runs 
Raton  Creek,  a  mountain  stream  fringed  on  each  side 
with  willows,  aspen  and  cottonwood.  Broken,  rock- 
bound  and  ragged  hills  surround  the  little  valley. 
Some  are  brown  and  bare ;  others  are  covered  with  a 
thick  growth  of  scrub-oak,  pinion  and  mesquite,  while 
here  and  there  stand  solitary  pines,  with  an  occasional 
grove  of  young  trees  springing  into  being. 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  13 

UNCLE  DICK  WOOTTON. 

THE  chief  interest,  however,  of  this  little  valley  cen- 
ters in  the  quaint  old  adobe  house  with  a  rude  chimney 
of  rocks  built  on  the  outside,  in  which  the  last  days  of 
one  of  the  best  known  of  the  old  trappers  and  pio- 
neers of  the  West  were  spent.  He  was  known 
throughout  the  whole  country  as  "  Uncle  Dick  Woot- 
ton,"  and  it  is  from  him  that  the  little  station  gets  its 
name.  Except  for  a  temporary  blindness,  which  was 
relieved  by  a  surgical  operation,  his  old  age  was  as 
rugged  and  healthful  as  had  been  his  youth,  and  noth- 
ing delighted  him  more  than  to  have  an  interested 
group  of  auditors  around  the  big  open  fire-place  to 
whom  he  could  tell  the  story  of  his  interesting  and 
thrilling  adventures.  He  was  born  in  Mecklenburg 
County,  Virginia,  May  6th,  1816,  and  was  christened 
"Richens  Lacy  Wootton."  It  was  when  he  became  a 
frontiersman,  less  than  nineteen  years  of  age,  that  his 
companions  changed  his  full  Christian  name  to 
"Dick,"  and  as  such  he  was  ever  afterwards  known. 
With  his  pipe  in  his  mouth,  his  broad-brimmed  som- 
brero on  his  head,  his  coat  off,  his  legs  crossed,  and 
tilted  back  in  his  comfortable  arm-chair  by  the  fire- 
side, Uncle  Dick  was  perfectly  happy  telling  his 
stories  of  the  past.  From  the  published  sketch  of  his 
life  we  learned  a  few  of  his  adventures.  Here  is  the 
way  he  begins  his  history : 

If  you  want  to  hear  something  about  what  an  old 
hunter  and  trapper,  who  has  been  in  this  country 
more  than  fifty  years,  has  gone  through,  I  reckon  I 
can  come  as  near  telling  you  some  things  that  will 


14  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

make  your  hair  raise  up  and  knock  your  hat  off,  as 
anybody  that  you  will  find,  if  you  travel  from  one 
side  of  this  broad  land  to  the  other. 

"You  might  as  well  understand  right  now,  how- 
ever, that  I  wasn't  cut  out  for  a  smooth  story-teller, 
and  can't  put  on  any  flourishes." 

His  active  frontier  life  began  in  1836.  While  still 
under  nineteen  years  of  age  he  undertook  to  drive 
twelve  mules  attached  to  a  merchandise  wagon  which 
was  going  through  from  Independence,  Mo.,  to  Santa 
Fe,  New  Mexico.  Those  were  the  days  of  buffaloes 
and  Indians  on  the  plains,  and  Santa  Fe  was  the 
capital  of  the  territory  that  still  belonged  to  Mexico. 

The  first  night  he  was  required  to  stand  guard 
over  the  wagon  train  he  had  rather  an  interesting 
and  at  the  same  time  amusing  experience.  He  says : 
"My  instructions  were  to  shoot  anything  that  I  saw 
moving  outside  the  line  of  mules  farthest  out  from 
the  wagons.  Nothing  had  happened  so  far  on  our  trip 
to  occasion  any  alarm  or  anxiety  about  our  safety, 
and  I  didn't  expect  anything  was  going  to  happen 
that  night.  Still  I  didn't  feel  at  all  inclined  to  go  to 
sleep,  and  kept  a  sharp  lookout.  About  one  o'clock 
at  night  I  heard  a  slight  noise,  and  could  see  some- 
thing moving  about,  sixty  or  seventy-five  yards  from 
where  I  was  lying  on  the  ground.  I  wasn't  a  coward, 
if  I  was  a  boy,  and  my  hair  didn't  stand  on  end,  al- 
though it  may  have  raised  up  a  little.  Of  course,  the 
first  thing  I  thought  of  was  Indians,  and  the  more  I 
looked  at  the  dark  object  creeping  along  toward  the 
camp,  the  more  it  looked  to  me  like  a  blood-thirsty 
savage.  I  didn't  get  excited,  although  afterwards 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  15 

they  tried  to  make  me  believe  I  did,  but  thought  the 
matter  over  and  made  up  my  mind  that  whatever  the 
thing  was,  it  had  no  business  out  there.  So  I  blazed 
away  at  it  and  down  it  dropped.  The  shot  roused 
everybody  in  the  camp,  and  they  all  came  running  out 
with  their  guns  in  their  hands  to  see  what  was  up. 

"I  told  them  I  had  seen  what  I  supposed  was  an 
Indian  trying  to  slip  into  camp  and  had  killed  him. 
Very  cautiously  several  of  the  men  crept  down  to 
where  the  supposed  dead  Indian  was  lying.  I  stood 
at  my  post  and  listened  for  their  report,  and  by  and 
by  I  heard  one  of  the  men  say,  'I'll  be  cussed  if  he 
hain't  killed  Old  Jack.'  'Old  Jack'  was  one  of  the 
lead  mules.  He  had  gotten  loose  and  strayed  outside 
the  lines,  and  the  result  was  that  he  met  his  death. 
I  felt  sorry  about  it,  but  the  mule  had  disobeyed 
orders  and  I  wasn't  to  blame  for  killing  him. 


M 


TRADING  WITH  INDIANS. 

IT  WAS  not  long  after  he  arrived  in  New  Mexico  be- 
fore he  wras  sent  at  the  head  of  a  party  of  thirteen 
men  on  a  trading  expedition  to  the  Sioux  Indians. 
This  is  the  way  the  business  was  conducted:  "We 
started  out  with  ten  wagons,  loaded  with  beads  and 
other  trinkets,  hunting  knives,  powder  and  bullets, 
blankets,  and  a  few  old  guns.  When  we  reached  the 
trading  country  we  would  camp  outside  an  Indian  vil- 
lage and  find  out  first  whether  they  were  in  a  trading 
humor.  If  they  were  we  would  send  in  a  pack-mule 
or  two,  loaded  with  our  wares,  and  establish  head- 
quarters at  the  lodge  of  some  friendly  Indian.  The 


16  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

Indian  at  whose  lodge  we  stopped  was  then  author- 
ized to  act  as  a  guard  to  protect  our  goods  from  the 
thieves  who  were  always  hanging  about  to  get  some- 
thing without  paying  for  it. 

"We  dressed  the  guard  up  in  a  military  uniform, 
which  we  carried  for  the  purpose,  made  him  wear  a 
stove-pipe  hat  with  a  red  feather  in  it,  put  shoulder- 
straps  on  him  and  gave  him  a  sword. 

"I  reckon  you  don't  know  what  a  lodge  of  the 
kind  I  speak  of  is.  Well,  I  will  tell  you.  It's  an  In- 
dian tent,  made  of  white  buffalo-skins ;  that  is,  buf- 
falo-skins that  have  been  dressed  on  both  sides.  Three 
poles  are  taken,  about  ten  or  fifteen  feet  long,  and  tied 
together  at  the  top.  Then  they  are  spread  apart  at 
the  bottom  and  set  on  the  ground.  The  buffalo-skins 
are  stretched  around  these  poles,  with  short  poles  put 
in  between  so  as  to  make  the  tent  perfectly  round.  An 
opening  is  left  at  the  top  of  the  tent,  through  which 
the  smoke  from  the  fire  inside  passes  out.  At  the  top 
there  are  also  a  couple  of  wings,  which  can  always  be  so 
arranged  as  to  break  the  wind,  and  keep  the  smoke 
from  being  blown  back  into  the  tent.  One  of  these 
tents  is  usually  as  large  inside  as  a  good  sized  room, 
and  they're  as  comfortable  as  a  house.  The  fire  is 
built  in  the  center  of  the  tent,  and  at  night  a  dozen 
Indians  will  sometimes  lie  down  in  one  of  them, 
sleeping  in  a  circle  with  their  feet  to  the  fire.  Gener- 
ally they  sleep  on  buffalo-robes  and  other  undressed 
skins,  but  sometimes  they  have  a  kind  of  willow  mat- 
tress, which  makes  about  as  nice  a  bed  as  a  tired 
hunter  ever  stretched  himself  out  on. 

"  Their  peltry  was  piled  up  inside  the  lodges,  and 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  17 

when  we  had  held  a  powwow  with  an  Indian,  and 
arranged  to  do  business  at  his  lodge,  we  unpacked  our 
goods  and  trading  commenced.  It  was  all  a  matter 
of  barter,  and  no  money  value  was  ever  placed  on  any- 
thing. We  used  to  get  pretty  good  bargains  in  these 
trades  with  the  Indians,  although  I  suppose  every- 
body understands  that. 

"  Their  furs,  buck-skins,  robes  and  ponies  were 
what  we  traded  for.  For  a  good  butcher-knife  they 
were  generally  willing  to  give  us  a  buffalo-robe,  and 
for  a  pound  of  powder,  the  gun-caps,  and  about  sixty 
bullets  to  go  with  it,  we  could  almost  always  get  two 
robes. 

"Sometimes  when  they  were  disposed  to  drive 
hard  bargains  we  had  to  give  them  two  common 
butcher-knives  for  an  extra  good  buffalo-robe,  but 
even  that  left  us  a  pretty  fair  profit.  A  good  beaver- 
skin  cost  us  about  thirty  cents  in  trade,  and  it  took 
three  bullets  and  three  charges  of  powder  to  get  a 
nicely- tanned  buckskin." 

That  one  may  understand  somewhat  the  difficul- 
ties of  living  in  this  country  in  the  early  fifties,  it  is  well 
to  recall  one  of  Uncle  Dick  Wootton's  stories.  In  1853 
he  decided  to  try  stock-raising  about  twenty  miles  from 
e  site  of  the  present  town  of  Pueblo,  Colorado.  His 
ife  and  children,  however,  were  in  Taos,  a  distance 
f  165  miles  away  over  the  mountains.  At  this  time 
the  Indians  were  on  the  war-path  and  it  was  only 
with  the  greatest  daring  that  a  man  would  attempt  to 
make  this  trip.  Yet,  several  times  Uncle  Dick  crossed 
the  mountains,  always  aiming  to  keep  clear  of  the 
trail  rather  than  to  follow  it  and  riding  hard  all  the 


11C 

: 


18  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

time,  sometimes  without  stopping  an  hour  for  sleep. 
On  one  occasion  he  made  this  trip  in  a  little  less  than 
twenty- four  hours,  and  though  he  came  in  sight  of  the 
Indians  at  several  points  along  the  way,  it  was  only 
once  that  they  saw  him  and  fired  upon  him,  though 
he  managed  to  elude  their  vigilance  and  escape. 

THE  RATON  PASS 

IT  is  to  Uncle  Dick  Wootton  that  we  owe  the  Raton 
Pass  over  the  mountains.  In  his  teaming  through  the 
country  he  often  had  occasion  to  hunt  out  new  roads, 
and  as  far  back  as  1858  had  discovered  that  this  could 
be  made  into  the  best  pass,  if  a  satisfactory  mountain 
road  were  built  from  Trinidad  on  the  eastern  side  to 
the  summit.  Accordingly  in  1865  he  applied  for  a 
charter  from  the  Colorado  legislature  authorizing 
him  to  construct  a  toll  road  from  Trinidad  to  the  New 
Mexico  line  and  another  charter  from  the  New  Mex- 
ico legislature  covering  the  road  from  the  New  Mexico 
line  to  the  Eed  River.  Said  he : 

"What  I  proposed  to  do  was  to  go  into  this  wind- 
ing, rock-ribbed  mountain  pass  and  hew  out  a  new 
road  which,  barring  grades,  should  be  as  good  as  the 
average  turnpike.  I  expected  to  keep  this  road  in 
good  repair,  and  charge  toll  for  traveling  over  it,  and 
thought  I  could  see  a  good  business  ahead  of  me. 

' '  I  had  undertaken  no  light  task.  There  were  hill- 
sides to  cut  down,  rocks  to  blast  and  remove,  and 
bridges  to  build  by  the  score.  I  built  the  road,  how- 
ever, and  made  it  a  good  one  too.  That  was  what 
brought  the  Santa  Fe  trail  through  this  way,  and  as 


SOME  STKANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  19 

the  same  trail  extended  to  Chihuahua  in  Mexico,  my 
twenty-seven  miles  of  turnpike  constituted  a  portion 
of  an  international  thoroughfare." 


THE  CORPORAL  S  GRAVE 

UST  before  entering  the  Eaton  tunnel,  a  lonely  grave 
may  be  seen.  This  is  the  grave  of  a  Mexican  corporal 
who  was  murdered  near  Uncle  Dick  Wootton's  house 
in  1865.  At  this  time  the  Indians  were  so  trouble- 
some that  all  wagon-trains  passing  through  to  Santa 
Fe  or  California  had  to  be  escorted  by  soldiers  from 
Fort  Lamed.  On  this  occasion  there  were  about  150 
wagons  escorted  by  a  company  mainly  of  Mexican  sol- 
diers under  the  command  of  Captain  Haley.  There 
was  a  feud  between  some  of  the  soldiers  and  the  cor- 
poral, whose  name  was  Juan  Torres,  and  three  of  the 
men  had  vowed  to  kill  him.  Uncle  Dick  says  these 
four  men  came  down  to  his  house  one  night  and  then 
left  at  an  early  hour.  Says  he : 

"They  had  not  been  gone  more  than  half  an  hour 
when  I  heard  them  talking,  not  far  from  my  house, 
and  a  few  seconds  later  I  heard  the  half -suppressed 
y  of  a  man  who  had,  I  was  satisfied,  received  his 

eath  blow.    I  had  gone  to  bed  and  lay  for  a  minute 
or  two  thinking  whether  I  should  get  up  and  go  out 
to  the  rescue  of  the  man  whose  cry  I  had  heard,  or 
insure  my  own  safety  by  remaining  where  I  was. 
"A  little  reflection  convinced  me  that  the  mur- 

erers  were  undoubtedly  watching  my  house  to  pre- 
vent any  interference  with  the  carrying  out  of  their 

lot,  and  that  if  I  ventured  out  I  should  only  en- 


ai 

2 


11 

a 


plot, 


20  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

danger  my  own  life,  while  there  was  scarcely  any  pos- 
sibility of  my  being  able  to  save  the  life  of  the  man 
who  had  been  assailed. 

"In  the  morning  when  I  got  up  I  found  the  dead 
body  of  the  corporal  stretched  across  Raton  creek,  not 
more  than  a  hundred  yards  from  my  house. 

"As  I  had  surmised  he  had  been  struck  with  a 
heavy  club  or  stone,  and  it  was  at  that  time  I  heard 
him  cry  out.  After  that  his  brains  had  been  beaten 
out,  and  the  body  left  where  I  found  it. 

6  i  I  notified  Captain  Haley  at  once  of  the  occurrence, 
and  identified  the  men  who  had  been  in  company  with 
the  corporal  and  who  were  undoubtedly  his  murder- 
ers. 

"They  were  taken  into  custody  and  made  a  full 
confession,  in  which  they  stated  that  one  of  their 
number  had  stood  at  my  door  on  the  night  of  the 
murder  to  shoot  me  if  I  ventured  out  to  assist  the 
corporal.  Two  of  the  scoundrels  were  hanged  after- 
wards at  Las  Vegas,  and  the  third  was  sent  to  prison 
for  life.  The  corporal  was  buried  near  where  the  sol- 
diers were  encamped  at  the  time  of  the  tragedy." 

Entering  the  tunnel,  we  leave  Colorado  behind  us, 
and  are  in  the  state  of  New  Mexico, — created  a  state 
in  the  year  of  our  visit,  1910, — and  here,  while  we 
travel  2,678  feet,  we  are  in  midnight  blackness.  Then, 
as  we  emerge  into  the  light,  Raton  Canyon  is  before 
us,  down  the  winding  course  of  which  we  descend  to 
Raton,  and  here  begins  our  introduction  to  what  sixty 
years  or  so  ago  was  a  part  of  Spanish  America.  No 
sooner  had  we  left  Raton  than  Dr.  James  told  us  the 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  21 

f  olloAving  interesting  story,  pointing  out,  as  he  did  so, 

the  mouth  of  the  canyon  where  what  he  saw  occurred. 

"It  was  at  Raton,  going  on  twenty-five  years  ago, 

hat  I  had  my  first  experience -with  that  wonderful 

fanaticism  known  as  the  Penitentes.    It  was  Easter 

time  and  I  had  been  staying  at  Raton  for  a  week  or 


PENITENTE  MORADA  AND  CROSSES 


two,  part  of  the  time  wandering  over  the  mountains 
and  surrounding  country  with  one  of  those  rather 
interesting  characters  sometimes  met  with  upon  the 
frontier,  who  knoAvs  everybody,  and  whom  everybody 
knows,  who  goes  where  white  men,  as  a  rule,  dare  not 

K'o,  and  does  naturally  the  many  things  that  white 
nen  never  think  of  doing.     We  had  become  great 


22  A  LITTLE  JOUENEY  TO 

chums  and  it  seemed  to  be  his  delight  to  find  new  and 
interesting  things  for  me  to  see. 

' '  One  morning  he  came  in  in  a  state  of  great  ex- 
citement, and,  half  in  anger  at  his  own  f  orgetf  ulness, 
he  jerked  out  an  oath  and  poured  forth  a  fervid 
stream  of  statements  to  the  effect  that  it  was  Easter 
time  when  the  Penitente  Brothers  would  be  engaged 
in  their  wonderful  ceremonials.  The  upshot  of  it  was 
that  we  got  horses  and  rode  down  to  the  canyon  three 
or  four  miles  south  of  town  and  were  soon  perched 
upon  a  hillside  looking  down  upon  the  little  Mexican 
jacal  from  which  the  penetrating  tones  of  a  flute  or 
flageolet  wailed  forth  its  dolorous  notes.  Following 
the  flute  we  heard  the  singing  of  one  or  two  hymns  in 
rude  uncultivated  voices  of  men.  This  was  the  sacred 
morada  of  the  Penitentes. 

"In  a  short  time  several  of  the  Penitente  Brothers 
emerged.  Each  votary  had  a  mask  or  hood  over  his 
head  which  completely  concealed  his  face  and  ex- 
cluded all  possibility  of  recognition,  even  by  his  most 
intimate  friends.  The  upper  part  of  the  body  was  en- 
tirely nude,  the  feet  were  bare,  and  the  only  garment 
worn  was  a  pair  of  cotton  drawers.  Each  man  held 
in  his  hand  a  scourge — a  three-foot-long  whip,  with 
a  flap-like  end,  having  the  shape  and  appearance  of 
a  flexible  spoon.  This  was  made  of  yucca  and  cactus, 
and  the  spoon-shaped  end  was  a  large  leaf  of  the 
prickly  pear,  one  of  the  most  thorny  of  the  cruel 
cactuses  of  the  southwest.  The  whole  scourge  was 
filled  with  the  spines  of  cactuses,  and  no  sooner  did 
the  procession  form  and  move  forward,  each  hooded 
figure  guided  by  a  friend,  than,  to  our  utter  amaze- 


i 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  23 

ment  and  horror,  these  cruel  scourges  were  whirled 
over  the  shoulders  and  brought  down  with  resound- 
ing 'thwacks'  upon  the  bare  backs  of  those  religious 
fanatics.  Every  third  step  the  back  was  beaten,  and 
now  and  again  we  could  hear  the  half -smothered 
shriek  of  the  self-whipper  as  the  piercing  thorns 
penetrated  the  flesh.  It  was  not  long  before  the 
blood  ran  in  tiny  streams  down  their  backs  and  the 
white  drawers  were  stained  crimson.  But  nothing 
daunted  the  fanatic  fury  of  this  band.  On  they 
marched,  led  by  the  fifer,  the  pitero,  playing  on  his 
pito  a  most  doleful  air,  accompanied  by  the  equally 
dolorous  singing  of  the  Hermano  Mayor,  or  Principal 
Brother. 

Several  hundred  yards  up  the  canyon  a  large 
cross  was  standing,  and  the  whipping  continued  each 
third  step  until  this  cross  was  reached.  Then  the 
ftagellantes  threw  themselves  face  downwards,  pros- 
trate before  the  cross,  and  lay  there  for  some  time, 
while  prayers  were  offered  by  the  Hermano  Mayor. 
Rising,  the  cross  was  marched  around,  and  then 
the  procession  returned  in  like  manner  to  the 
morada. 

That  afternoon,  about  three  o'clock,  another  pro- 
cession formed  with  five  of  the  brothers  whipping 
themselves.  This  time  there  were  several  women 
following  in  the  procession.  It  almost  made  one  sick 
to  hear  the  swish  of  those  fearful  cactus  whips 
whirled  over  the  shoulders  and  the  dull  spat  as  they 
came  down  thwack  on  the  back  of  the  fanatical 
victims. 

There  was  one  of  the  brothers,   however,   who 


24  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

marched  along  for  twenty  or  thirty  steps  and  at  each 
swing  of  his  whip,  though  he  appeared  as  if  about  to 
strike  himself  with  vigor,  he  so  twisted  and  turned 
that  his  body  dodged  the  prickly  whip.  There  were 
several  spectators  near  me  and  some  of  them  spoke 
out  in  derision : ' '  Look  at  that  fellow.  He  is  dodging. 
He  is  not  whipping  his  sins  out."  Then  to  my  amaze- 


PENITENTE    FLAGELLANTES    AND    CROSS    BEARERS 

ment,  one  of  the  Hermanos  de  Luz  (brothers  of  light) 
or  guides,  seized  the  whip,  and,  calling  upon  another 
of  the  brothers  of  light  to  guide  the  cowardly  mem- 
ber of  the  fraternity,  he  proceeded  to  bring  the  whip 
down  with  a  resounding  thwack  upon  the  bare  back 
of  the  pilgrim.  At  every  stroke  the  blood  spattered 
out  on  each  side  and  when  the  procession  was  over 
I  picked  up  a  number  of  pieces  of  wood  and  leaves, 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  25 

etc.,  which  were  splashed  over  with  the  sanguinary 
fluid. 

All  this  time  the  pitero  was  wailing  out  his  pierc- 
ing tones,  while  the  cracked  voices  of  two  or  three  of 
the  men  united  in  singing  the  hymn,  'My  God  and 
My  Redeemer.' 

The  following  day  the  procession  with  its  flagel- 
lations was  repeated,  but  in  the  afternoon  there  was 
a  startling  change.  Outside  the  morada  leaned  three 
large  and  heavy  rude  crosses  made  of  pine  trees,  on 
which  the  bark  still  remained.  Three  of  the  blind- 
folded brothers  were  led  to  these  crosses  and  it 
seemed  with  considerable  effort  on  the  part  of  four 
or  five  of  the  attendant  brothers  of  light  each  cross 
in  turn  was  lifted  upon  the  back  of  one  of  the  pil- 
grims. Then,  led  by  the  Hermano  and  the  pitero 
fifing  and  siftging,  and  followed  by  a  dozen  or  more 
women,  the  procession  slowly  started  up  the  canyon. 
The  poor  wretches  on  whose  shoulders  the  crosses  had 
been  placed  staggered  along  with  their  awful  bur- 
dens, evidently  moving  only  by  the  exercise  of  the 
strongest  will-power,  as  the  burden  seemed  heavy 
enough  to  have  staggered  several  men.  One  of  the 
poor  victims  at  last  staggered  and  fell  with  the  cross 
crushing  the  upper  part  of  his  body.  He  must  have 
fainted  for  he  lay  perfectly  still  for  what  seemed 
quite  a  little  time  while  the  procession  halted,  but 
not  for  a  moment  did  the  doleful  wailing  of  the  fife 
or  the  quavering  of  the  singing  cease.  There  was  a 
brief  consultation  of  some  of  the  brothers  of  light 
and  three  of  them  stepped  forward  and  raised  the 
cross,  whilst  another  gave  the  prostrate  pilgrim  sev- 


26  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

eral  fierce  and  resounding  thwacks  with  a  cactus  whip, 
following  his  blows  with  several  kicks  at  the  pros- 
trate form.  The  poor  wretch  staggered  to  his  feet 
and  again  the  cross  was  put  on  his  shoulders,  and  as 
he  staggered  forward,  he  was  urged  on  his  way  at 
about  every  other  step  with  a  vicious  blow  from  the 
whip  of  his  attendant  brother  of  light.  A  little  fur- 
ther on,  one  of  the  other  cross-bearers  fell,  but  he 
seemed  to  have  more  strength  than  the  first  one  who 
had  fallen,  and  soon  regained  his  feet.  It  seemed 
a  pitiably  long  time  before  that  strangely  solemn  yet 
pathetically  hideous  procession  reached  the  little 
knoll  where  holes  already  had  been  dug  for  the  stand- 
ing up  of  the  crosses.  This  knoll  or  hillock  is  called 
El  Calvario — The  Calvary. 

Here  other  ceremonies  were  gone  through,  and 
that  evening  in  the  little  church  in  town  there  was  a 
graphic  and  dramatic  representation  of  the  events 
that  followed  the  Crucifixion — the  darkness,  the  rend- 
ing of  the  Veil  of  the  Temple,  the  earthquake,  the 
arising  of  the  dead  from  their  tombs,  etc. 

These  things  transpire  every  year  in  quite  a  num- 
ber of  the  Mexican  communities  of  New  Mexico,  Ari- 
zona and  Southern  Colorado.  The  Encyclopedia 
Britannica  declares  that  the  last  procession  of  peni- 
tentes  or  flagellantes  took  place  in  Lisbon,  Spain,  in 
1820.  But  in  this,  as  in  other  things,  authorities  are 
not  always  sure  of  the  facts  they  state.  It  would  make 
no  difference  if  a  thousand  authoritative  encyclope- 
dias all  declared  that  self-flagellations  were  at  an  end, 
in  view  of  what  the  eyes  of  living  men  and  women 
of  the  nineteenth  and  twentieth  centuries  have  seen 


SOME  STEANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES     27 

in  Arizona  and  New  Mexico.  I  have  since  seen  this 
performance,  with  slight  variations,  at  four  different 
settlements. 

And  yet,  even  in  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  good 
Catholics  will  tell  you  that  the  penitences  no  longer 
exist,  for  the  Archbishop  has  promulgated  certain  de- 
crees against  it  which  render  its  ceremonies  impos- 
sible. But  even  this  makes  no  difference  to  the  facts, 
which  are,  that  the  penitentes  exist  and  still  conduct 
their  woefully  piteous  ceremonies  in  the  belief  that 
thereby  they  are  partaking  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ 
and  that  they  thus  render  themselves  partakers  of 
his  ultimate  glory. 

Again  and  again  I  have  said  to  these  flagellants, 
"But  how  can  you  be  a  good  Catholic  and  a  penitente, 
when  the  Archbishop  has  forbidden  it?"  The  reply 
has  invariably  been :  "  It  is  nothing  to  me  what  he  for- 
bids. I  don't  care  whether  I  am  a  Catholic  or  not. 
I  am  a  penitente."  This  last  declaration  is  made  with 
a  self-conscious  air  of  pride  and  superiority  that  de- 
notes that  the  last  word  has  been  said.  To  be  a  peni- 
tente is  to  be  above  anything  and  everything  that  such 
an  one  could  desire. 

At  the  same  time  it  cannot  be  denied  that  the  in- 
fluence of  the  church  is  gradually  reducing  the  num- 
ber of  members  of  this  order  and  doing  away  with 
many  of  its  hideous  celebrations.  Quietly  but  firmly 
the  priests  are  extending  their  influence  and  one  by 
one  the  hillside  moradas  are  falling  into  ruins. 

It  is  hard  to  tell  just  how  the  order  of  penitentes 
came  into  existence  in  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  in 
its  present  form.  For  while  it  undoubtedly  was 


28  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

brought  into  this  region  by  the  Spanish  Conquista- 
dores  some  three  hundred  years  ago,  it  is  scarcely  to 
be  believed  that  they  brought  it  in  its  now  existent 
form.  While  many  a  monk  and  nun  had  practiced 
self-flagellation  in  Europe,  and  even  the  sweet- 
spirited  Saint  Anthony  of  Padua,  soon  after  the  dawn 
of  the  thirteenth  century,  had  founded  a  fraternity, 
which  regarded  the  use  of  the  rod  and  whip  in  public 
penance  as  part  of  its  discipline,  such  practices  had 
long  been  frowned  upon  by  the  church  authorities. 

It  is  well  known  that  there  was  a  " third  order"  of 
Franciscans,  for  as  late  as  1793  we  are  told  Spanish 
letters  often  referred  to  it  as  "La  Cofradia  del  terces 
orden  de  Franciscanos,"  — the  brotherhood  of  the 
third  order  of  Franciscans. 

It  is  more  than  possible  that  the  existence  of  the 
penitentes  in  their  present  form  is  owing  to  certain 
customs  that  the  Mexicans  found  to  exist  among  the 
Pueblo  Indians  and  which  prevailed  from  time  im- 
memorial. Each  pueblo  has  had  its  professional  peni- 
tentes called  caciques  who,  at  certain  periods  of  the 
year,  retired  to  solitude  and  completely  fasted,  spend- 
ing their  days  and  nights  in  prayer  interceding  with 
" Those  Above"  for  the  forgiveness  of  the  sins  of  the 
people.  Every  pueblo  has  its  stories,  more  or  less 
legendary,  perhaps,  about  the  self-abnegation  and 
self-sacrificing  spirit  of  these  noble  men.  They  are 
looked  up  to  and  revered  by  the  Indians  as  are  few 
white  men  in  any  position. 

In  the  olden  time,  some  of  these  caciques  used  to 
do  penance.  Tradition  has  it  that  one  tribe  received 
its  name,  Poo-ya-tye,  from  the  fact  that  the  caciques 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  29 

pricked  themselves  in  penitential  punishment  with 
the  poo-ya,  or  fierce  thorn  of  the  cactus. 

It  is  possible  that  here  we  have  the  secret  of  the 
growth  of  the  ceremonies  of  the  Mexican  penitent e. 
He  has  combined  the  idea  of  the  third  order  of  St. 
Francis  with  the  flagellant  and  self-sacrificing  Indian 
caciques,  and  with  the  fervor  of  an  untutored  fanatic, 
the  thing  grew  to  the  proportions  in  which  it  was 
found,  until  the  severe  penalties  of  the  church,  and 
more  potent  still,  the  increasing  influx  of  disapprov- 
ing white  men  and  women  of  the  new  civilization, 
have  either  compelled  its  abolishment,  or  its  retire- 
ment to  the  complete  secrecy  of  hidden  recesses  in 
remote  mountains  or  canyons. " 

As  Dr.  James  concluded  his  story  we  all  felt  that 
we  were  indeed  in  a  wonderful  land,  if  such  cere- 
monies as  these  were  still  permitted.  It  merely  goes 
to  prove  the  truth  of  the  old  saying:  "One  half  the 
people  never  know  how  the  other  half  lives." 

THE  OLD  SANTA  FE  TRAIL 

BUT  our  minds  were  not  allowed  to  dwell  very  long 
on  these  things.  Our  attention  was  called  to  the  fact 
that  we  were  journeying  over  what  a  few  decades  ago 
was  called  the  Santa  Fe  Trail. 

It  is  a  difficult  matter  for  those  who  travel  over 
the  country  in  a  Pullman  car  to  realize  that  less  than 
fifty  years  ago,  all  freight  was  taken  over  this  country 
in  " prairie  schooners"  and  passengers  were  con- 
veyed by  the  overland  stage.  We  found  on  the  train 
one  of  the  oldest  pioneers  of  New  Mexico  and  he 


30  A  LITTLE  JOUBNEY  TO 

kindly  gave  us  this  interesting  description  of  the  way 
he  used  to  haul  freight  over  the  plains  and  moun- 
tains : 

"To  begin  with  then,  I  had  thirty-six  wagons,  and 
to  each  of  these  wagons  were  hitched  five  pairs  of 
oxen.  This  made  ten  head  of  cattle  to  each  wagon, 
and  three  hundred  and  sixty  in  all.  In  addition  to 
these,  I  drove  along  with  the  train,  a  pretty  large 
herd  of  cattle,  upon  which  I  could  draw  to  fill  out  the 
teams  in  case  any  of  the  oxen  were  killed  or  injured 
in  any  way,  or  as  frequently  happened,  got  sore- 
footed.  Altogether  it  took  over  four  hundred  cattle 
to  keep  up  the  train,  and  when  the  teams  were  hitched 
and  stood  ready  to  start,  we  had  a  procession  nearly 
a  mile  long. 

"Our  wagons  were  what  we  called  ' prairie 
schooners.'  They  were  strong,  heavy  wagons,  with 
long  high  beds,  and  would  carry  loads  three  or  four 
times  as  big  as  can  be  carried  on  the  ordinary  farm 
and  road  wagons  in  use  now. 

"It  took  forty  men  to  manage  the  train.  There 
was  one  driver  to  each  wagon,  and  then  the  wagon- 
masters,  who  had  a  general  oversight  of  the  train, 
and  the  herders  who  took  charge  of  the  stock  when 
we  went  into  camp,  brought  the  number  up  to  forty. 

"In  addition  to  the  freight  wagons  we  always  had 
an  ambulance  in  which  we  carried  some  of  our  pro- 
visions, and  had  room  for  a  teamster  or  any  one  else 
traveling  with  the  train,  who  might  happen  to  get 
sick  along  the  road.  Sometimes  we  would  carry  two 
or  three  passengers  in  the  ambulance. 

"The  men  were  divided  into  parties  of  ten  each, 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AXD  PEOPLES  31 


s 

o 

, 


which  we  called  a  'mess,'  and  each  'mess'  was  fur- 
nished with  a  camp-outfit  for  cooking  purposes. 
Then  each  'mess'  selected  a  cook,  who  was  also  a 
teamster,  but  got  extra  pay,  and  was  relieved  of 
ard  duty  and  certain  kinds  of  work  which  the 
others  had  to  do. 

When  we  selected  a  camping-place  and  got  ready 
o  stop  for  the  night,  the  wragons  were  driven  up  into 
two  lines  so  as  to  form  a  pen  or,  as  we  call  it,  a  corral. 
The  tongues  of  the  wagons  were  turned  outside  the 
corral,  and  the  fore  wheel  of  a  wagon  rested  against 
the  hind  wheel  of  the  one  directly  in  front  of  it. 
Driving  them  up  in  this  way  left  the  cattle  all  out- 
side of  the  corral,  and  they  were  then  unyoked  and 
driven  to  water,  after  which  they  were  watched  by 
the  herders,  while  they  fed  on  the  prairie  grass,  until 
they  got  ready  to  lie  down  for  the  night.  That  was 
what  we  called  a  camp-corral.  What  we  called  a 
'fighting  corral/  which  we  formed  when  we  were  at- 
tacked, or  likely  to  be  attacked  by  the  Indians,  was 
made  by  turning  the  wagon  tongues  inside  the  circle 
f  wagons.  This  brought  the  cattle  all  inside  the  cor- 
1,  and  made  it  easy  to  protect  them  and  keep  them 
om  stampeding. 

"We  always  started  to  drive  early  in  the  morn- 
£.  The  cattle  were  driven  inside  the  corral,  yoked 
gether,  and  hitched  to  the  wagons  in  the  order  in 
hich  they  were  to  start  out,  those  which  had  been 
driven  behind  and  had  taken  the  dust  of  the  train 
one  day,  going  ahead  the  next. 

"As  I  had  charge  of  the  train,  I  was  called  the 
major  domo,  a  term  we  borrowed  from  the  Mexicans 


32  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

and  always  used.  My  two  assistants  were  wagon- 
masters.  My  orders  had  to  be  obeyed  by  all  my  em- 
ployes as  promptly  and  strictly  as  would  the  orders 
of  the  captain  of  a  military  company  by  the  men 
under  his  command,  and  we  moved  with  about  the 
same  precision  as  a  military  organization  on  the 
march.  I  had  so  many  men  on  guard  all  the  time  at 
night,  and  one  detail  was  relieved  by  another  at  regu- 
lar intervals.  When  the  wagons  were  driven  into 
line  in  the  morning,  each  man  took  his  place  along- 
side his  wagon,  and  then  awaited  the  order  to  start. 
When  the  start  was  made,  the  wagons  had  to  be  kept 
up  within  a  certain  distance  of  each  other,  like  sol- 
diers marching  in  single  file. 

"By  observing  these  precautions  and  preserving 
perfect  discipline  among  the  men,  I  avoided  having 
any  stragglers  to  look  after  when  we  were  surprised 
by  the  savages,  and  could  always  be  prepared  for  a 
fight  in  a  few  minutes. 

"We  started  from  the  camp  in  the  morning  with- 
out breakfast  and  drove  until  about  ten  o'clock,  when 
we  stopped  to  eat.  Then  we  rested  until  two  and 
sometimes  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  while  the 
cattle  were  grazing  and  getting  water. 

"In  this  way  I  always  got  over  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  miles  a  day,  sixteen  miles  being  an  average 
day's  travel.  It  usually  took  about  four  months  to 
make  the  trip  from  Kansas  City  to  Fort  Union  and 
return. 

"Our  wagons  were  not  more  than  half -loaded  as  a 
rule  when  we  were  going  east.  About  all  there  was 
to  be  hauled  that  way  was  the  peltry  taken  in  the 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  33 

mountains,  and  I  generally  aimed  to  buy  up  or  trade 
for  enough  of  this  to  enable  me  to  make  my  expenses 
out  of  the  profits  which  I  could  realize  by  selling  in 
Kansas  City. 

"When  we  got  ready  to  return  from  Kansas  City, 
however,  we  always  had  big  loads.  To  put  six  or 
eight  thousand  pounds  on  a  wagon  was  not  loading 
uncommonly  heavy,  and  frequently  we  put  as  high  as 
ten  thousand  pounds  on  a  wagon. 

"We  were  paid  then,  for  carrying  goods  through 
from  Kansas  City  to  Fort  Union,  eight  dollars  per 
hundred,  so  that  a  freight  bill  on  a  train-load  of 
goods  in  those  times  amounted  sometimes  to  many 
thousands  of  dollars." 

THE  MAXWELL  LAND  GRANT 

AFTER  leaving  Raton  we  rode  for  a  long  time  along 
sixty  miles  of  the  eastern  edge  of  the  Maxwell  Land 
Grant,  a  princely  domain  once  owned  by  the  Ameri- 
can Fur  Company,  but  now  controlled  by  a  foreign 
syndicate. 

Lucien  B.  Maxwell  from  whom  this  grant  was 
named  was  one  of  the  most  noted  "mountain  men"  of 
the  early  forties  and  fifties  in  Colorado  and  New 
Mexico.  He  was  with  General  Fremont  on  one  of  his 
earlier  expeditions  when  he  followed  the  Arkansas 
River  to  its  source.  For  a  time  he  lived  at  Taos,  the 
interesting  pueblo  that  is  the  most  northerly  of  all 
the  pueblos  of  New  Mexico.  Here  he  knew  Kit  Car- 
son, Fremont's  chief  scout,  "Uncle  Dick  Wootton" 
and  other  pioneers. 


34  A  LITTLE  JOUBNEY  TO 

Maxwell  had  several  narrow  escapes  from  the  In- 
dians in  his  life.  On  one  occasion  he  had  left  Taos 
to  go  up  the  Rio  Grande  to  gather  a  band  of  horses 
for  government  service.  "He  had  succeeded  in  get- 
ting something  like  a  hundred  horses,  and  was  on  his 
way  back  to  Taos,  when  he  struck  the  trail  of  a  large 
band  of  Ute  Indians. 

"To  avoid  this  band  he  turned  down  the  Arkansas 
River,  and  went  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  out  of 
his  way,  intending  to  go  over  the  mountains  and  come 
into  Taos  from  the  east.  Whether  the  same  band  of 
Utes  that  he  had  seen  turned  back  and  followed  him, 
or  whether  it  was  another  band  which  attacked  him, 
is  uncertain,  but  when  he  was  within  a  few  days' 
ride  of  Taos  he  had  one  of  the  bloodiest  battles  with 
these  Indians  that  any  of  the  mountain  men  ever  had. 

"There  were  twelve  men  in  the  party,  including 
Maxwell  himself ,  and  they  had  with  them  two  chil- 
dren, whom  he  was  taking  from  one  of  the  upper  Rio 
Grande  settlements  to  their  friends  in  Taos. 

"While  they  were  taking  their  breakfast  in  camp 
one  morning  the  Indians  suddenly  made  their  ap- 
pearance, and  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it  they 
had  stampeded  and  driven  off  the  horses.  While  a 
portion  of  the  band  was  stealing  the  horses,  thirty 
or  forty  mounted  warriors  rode  up  and  fired  on  Max- 
well and  his  party,  killing  one  and  mortally  wound- 
ing another  of  his  men.  It  happened  that  there  was 
a  small  grove  of  trees  not  far  from  the  camp,  and 
hurriedly  getting  under  cover  of  these  trees  they  de- 
termined to  fight  as  long  as  there  was  a  man  of  them 
left. 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  35 

"In  that  position  they  defended  themselves 
against  the  whole  band  of  red-skins,  until  the  latter 
tired  of  the  fight  and  withdrew.  Then  they  found 
themselves  in  a  sorry  plight.  All  but  two  of  them 
had  been  wounded,  some  very  seriously. 

"They  had  no  horses  and  they  were  a  long  way, 
not  only  from  home,  but  from  any  white  settlement. 
They  could  not  stay  where  they  were,  however,  and 
that  night  they  set  out  under  cover  of  darkness  to 
walk  to  Taos." 

Traveling  in  this  way  by  night,  and  hiding  in  day- 
light, without  food,  and  suffering  at  the  same  time 
from  hunger  and  numerous  festering  wounds,  they 
reached  a  point  about  thirty  miles  east  of  Taos  where 
they  were  met  by  a  band  of  rescuers,  of  whom  Uncle 
Dick  Wootton  was  one.  These  latter  had  heard 
through  a  friendly  Arapahoe  Indian  of  the  fight  with 
the  Utes,  and  though  they  knew  that  those  who  had 
escaped  were  making  their  way  towards  home  under 
great  difficulties,  they  had  not  expected  to  find  them 
in  so  pitiable  a  condition.  In  describing  this,  Uncle 
Dick  says:  "Some  had  lost  nearly  all  their  clothing 
in  crawling  through  the  thick  growths  of  underbrush, 
all  had  been  so  weakened  by  starvation  that  they 
could  scarcely  stand  on  their  feet,  and  their  undressed 
wounds  were  in  a  fearful  condition. 

"They  had  almost  given  up  the  struggle  to  reach 
home  when  we  found  them,  and  several  of  those  who 
were  the  most  seriously  wounded  were  begging  their 
more  fortunate  comrades  to  leave  them  to  die  where 
they  were  and  take  care  of  themselves. 

I  shall  never  forget  how  the  tears  ran  down  the 


36  A  LITTLE  JOUKNEY  TO 

cheeks  of  these  poor  fellows  when  they  caught  sight 
of  us  and  realized  that  they  were  saved,  just  when 
they  were  about  to  give  up  all  hope. 

"We  dressed  their  wounds  as  well  as  we  could 
and  carried  them  to  Taos,  where  with  careful  nursing 
they  all  recovered  in  time." 

LAS  VEGAS  (THE  MEADOWS) 

THE  first  town  of  any  size  in  New  Mexico,  after  leav- 
ing Raton,  is  Las  Vegas,  originally  founded  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1820.  It  was  not  parceled  out  to  settlers,  how- 
ever, until  1835,  when  it  was  formally  known  under 
the  weighty  name  of  the  pueblo  or  town  of  ' i  Nuestra 
Senora  de  los  Dolores  de  Las  Vegas"-— Our  Lady  of 
Sorrows  of  the  Meadows.  The  Mexican  settlers  were 
not  anxious  to  push  further  east  over  the  Buffalo 
Plains,  where  wild  and  hostile  Indians  roamed,  so 
Las  Vegas  was  practically  the  most  eastern  Mexican 
settlement.  The  Navaho  Indians  from  the  west,  the 
Utes  from  the  north,  and  the  Comanches  from  the 
south  and  east  raided  the  settlers,  stealing  their  sheep 
and  other  live  stock  and  not  hesitating  to  take  a  life 
or  a  prisoner  whenever  it  seemed  to  their  advantage. 
The  "town"  wras  practically  a  fortified  settlement — a 
strong  adobe  fort — into  which  when  an  Indian  alarm 
was  raised,  the  Mexicans  and  their  stock  hastily  re- 
treated, there  to  defend  themselves  until  the  danger 
was  past. 


: 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  37 

KEARNY  TAKES  POSSESSION  FOR  THE  U.  S. 


THIS  very  thing  was  done  by  the  settlers  only  a  few 
days  before  Colonel  Stephen  W.  Kearny,  with  his 
army  of  occupation,  arrived  on  August  14, 1846.  War 
had  been  declared  between  the  United  States  and 
Mexico,  by  President  Polk,  May  13, 1846,  and  Kearny 
had  been  ordered  to  invade  New  Mexico  and  Cali- 
fornia, with  the  object  of  seizing  them  for  the  United 
States.  Kearny  left  Fort  Leavenworth,  on  the  Mis- 
souri River,  in  June,  with  1,558  men  and  sixteen 
pieces  of  artillery. 

As  he  neared  Mexican  territory  Kearny  sent  Cap- 
tain Cooke,  with  a  flag  of  truce,  to  bear  a  message  to 
the  Mexican  governor,  Armijo,  stating  that  he  was 
arriving  for  the  purpose  of  taking  possession  of  the 
country.  On  the  13th  of  August  Armijo  replied  to 
Kearny  as  follows:  "You  have  notified  me  that  you 
intend  to  take  possession  of  the  country  I  govern. 
The  people  of  the  country  have  risen  en  masse  in  my 
defense.  If  you  take  the  country,  it  will  be  because 
you  are  the  strongest  in  battle.  I  suggest  to  you  that 
rou  stop  at  the  Sapello,  and  I  will  march  to  the  Vegas, 
will  meet  and  negotiate  on  the  plains  between 


On  the  morning  of  the  15th  three  officers  arrived 
from  Fort  Leavenworth,  bringing  to  Colonel  Kearny 
his  commission  as  Lieutenant-General,  and  almost 
before  he  had  had  time  to  realize  the  new  honor  given 
to  him,  General  Kearny  marched  into  Las  Vegas, 
where  he  was  met  by  the  Alcalde,  Don  Juan  de  Dios 
Maes,  climbed  to  the  top  of  an  adobe  house  over- 


38 


A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 


looking  the  plaza,  and  there  made  a  speech  declaring 
himself  Governor  of  New  Mexico  and  in  due  posses- 
sion of  the  country. 

At  the  same  time  the  rumor  was  prevalent  that 
Governor  Armijo,  with  six  thousand  Mexicans,  was 
waiting  within  two  miles  of  Las  Vegas  to  meet 


BIRD'S   EYE   VIEW   OF   LAS   VEGAS,    N.    M. 


Kearny  and  his  army.  The  fact  was  Armijo  realized 
the  hopelessness  of  his  attempting  to  fight  Kearny 
and  merely  made  a  pretence  of  obstructing  the  Amer- 
ican 's  march,  and,  before  the  latter  reached  Santa 
Fe — then  the  capital  of  the  country,  even  as  it  is  now 
of  the  new  state  of  New  Mexico — he  had  fled  and  left 
Kearny  in  peaceable  possession. 


Ill 

r 

be 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  39 

LAS  VEGAS  TODAY 

LAS  VEGAS  is  the  county  seat  of  San  Miguel  County. 
It  occupies  the  west  side  of  the  Rio  Gallinas,  while 
East  Las  Vegas,  also  an  incorporated  city,  occupies 
the  east  side.  Owning  a  land  grant  of  437,000  acres, 
iven  originally  to  the  settlers,  Las  Vegas  ought  to 
ecome  a  remarkable  city  in  that  the  income  from 
this  grant  should  not  only  pay  all  its  taxes,  but  give  it 
an  income  for  the  improvement  of  the  city  in  a 
variety  of  ways.  Students  of  civic  government  will 
undoubtedly  watch  the  growth  of  this  city  with  great 
interest. 

Las  Vegas  is  a  progressive  town,  but  naturally 
when  compared  with  the  large  cities  of  the  East  it  is 
small.  Yet  it  already  has  some  fine  business  and 
other  buildings,  notably  the  New  Mexico  Normal 
University  and  the  Carnegie  Library.  In  East  Las 
Vegas  the  Castle  High  School  is  a  fine  building  that 
would  be  an  honor  to  any  city. 


LAS  VEGAS  HOT  SPRINGS 

were  taken  out  on  the  electric  railway  to  the 
[ontezuma  Hotel,  six  miles  away,  at  Las  Vegas  Hot 
iprings.    This  is  a  magnificent  building  built  of  red 
indstone  and  iron  in  the  Queen  Anne  style,  which 
stands  in  its  own  park  of  over  500  acres.    The  Santa 
Railway  Company  has  spent  over  a  million  dol- 
irs  here  to  make  one  of  the  finest  inland  resorts  on 
the  American  continent.  There  are  hot  springs  which 
are  equal  to  any  in  the  world;  the  altitude,  about 


40  A  LITTLE  JOUKNEY  TO 

6,500  feet,  renders  malaria  impossible,  and  there  are 
no  pests  such  as  fleas,  mosquitoes,  gnats  or  spiders. 

THE  BUFFALO   PLAINS 

LEAVING  Las  Vegas,  as  we  looked  back  over  the 
country  we  had  crossed  we  could  well  understand 
and  believe  the  wonderful  stories  told  us  of  the  days 
when  the  buffalo  was  king  of  these  vast  stretches  of 
plain. 

It  scarcely  seems  possible  that  there  are  men  now 
living  who  can  remember  when  buffalo  were  posi- 
tively numbered  by  millions,  roaming  in  a  wild  state 
over  all  this  vast  territory  as  far  east  as  the  Missouri 
River.  Yet  many  school-boys  and  girls  have  attended 
the  "Wild  West"  shows  of  Buffalo  Bill— Colonel 
W.  F.  Cody — who  gained  his  title  because  he  was 
such  an  expert  hunter  of  these  shaggy  monarchs  of 
the  plains. 

It  is  a  sad  commentary  upon  the  thoughtlessness 
and  improvidence  of  the  Americans  that  they  have 
practically  exterminated  these  noble  creatures,  so 
that  now  only  a  few  are  to  be  found,  and  they  are 
kept  in  captivity  and  attended  with  the  greatest  care. 

With  all  his  improvidence,  the  Indian  would 
never  have  been  guilty  of  such  a  course  of  procedure 
as  that  of  the  white  man  in  his  treatment  of  the 
buffalo.  Though  he  killed  great  quantities  and  dried 
in  the  sun,  or  jerked,  the  meat  for  winter  use,  he 
never  killed  them  in  a  wanton  manner. 

On  our  trip  we  talked  with  several  old  buffalo 
hunters.  One  of  them  told  us  that  many  a  time 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  41 

he  had  seen  the  Indians  kill  buffalo.  "The  Indians 
killed  a  great  many  of  these  animals,  but  as  a  rule 
they  only  killed  what  they  needed  for  food.  The 
skin  hunters  were  the  fellows  who  were  mainly 
responsible  for  the  extermination  of  the  buffalo.  As 
long  as  they  were  killed  only  for  the  purpose  of 
supplying  the  people  on  the  frontier  and  the  Indians 
with  food,  we  could  not  notice  that  their  number  was 
decreasing;  but  when  an  army  of  men  came  into 
the  country  to  kill  them  for  the  purpose  of  supplying 
the  eastern  market  with  robes,  they  didn't  last  long. 

"I  used  to  enjoy  seeing  the  Indians  hunt  buffalo; 
that  is,  when  the  Indians  were  friendly  and  were 
not  hunting  white  men  at  the  same  time. 

"A  large  party  of  them  would  start  out  on  horse- 
back, and  when  they  had  picked  out  a  band  of  buffalo 
they  would  form  a  circle  around  the  game  and 
gradually  close  in  on  it. 

"Then  they  started  their  horses  on  a  run,  bending 
their  bows  and  adjusting  their  arrows  as  they  neared 
the  animals  marked  for  the  slaughter. 

They  did  not  shoot  until  they  ran  alongside  the 
me,  and  then  their  arrows  were  quite  as  effective 
as  the  bullets  of  the  white  hunters.    The  little  Indian 

TVS  who  followed  the  hunters  took  part  in  the 
aso  and  the  buffalo  calves  were  left  for  them  to 
'actice  on." 

SCENIC  HIGHWAY  TO  SANTA  FE 

SOON  after  leaving  Las  Vegas  we  entered  the  Glorieta 
mountains.  Of  these  mountains  it  has  truthfully 
en  said  that  "the  landscape  is  oriental  in  aspect 


ga 


42  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

and  flushed  with  color.  Nowhere  else  can  you  find 
sky  of  deeper  blue,  sunlight  more  dazzling,  shadows 
more  intense,  clouds  more  luminously  white,  or  stars 
that  throb  with  redder  fire.  Here  the  pure  rarefied 
air  that  is  associated  in  the  mind  with  arduous 
mountain  climbing  is  the  only  air  known — dry,  cool 
and  gently  stimulating.  Through  it,  as  through  a 


CONVICTS    AT    WORK    CONSTRUCTING     THE     SCENIC    HIGHWAY 
BETWEEN   LAS   VEGAS    AND    SANTA   FE 


crystal,  the  rich  red  of  the  soil,  the  green  of  vegeta- 
tion, and  the  varied  tints  of  the  rocks  gleam  always 
freshly  on  the  sight." 

We  were  borne  over  mountains  above  forests  of 
pine  and  fir,  with  transient  glimpses  of  distant 
prairie;  through  canyons  where  fierce  rock  walls 
yielded  grudging  passage  and  massive  gray  slopes 


benc 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  43 


s 


; 


ended  downward  from  the  sky;  and  we  could  pic- 
ture what  a  magnificent  ride  it  would  be  in  a  fine 
ge-coach  over  these  mountains,  by  the  new  road, 
he  " Scenic  Highway,"  which  is  now  being  con- 
tructed  by  the  convicts  from  the  state  prison,  over 
e  fifty-mile  stretch  between  Las  Vegas  and 
Santa  Fe.  We  are  going  to  Santa  Fe,  but  it  is  by 
railway  to  Lamy  Junction,  and  thence  up  the  wind- 
ing branch  road  that  leads  us  to  this  ancient  capital 
city.  We  should  all  have  preferred  going  by  stage  ; 
and  when  we  began  to  talk  about  the  stage,  Dr.  James 
went  out  into  the  car  ahead  and  brought  to  us  an 
old  man  who  proved  to  be  one  of  the  old-time  over- 
land stage-drivers.  He  used  to  drive  stage  over  these 
mountains  long  before  the  Santa  Fe  railway  was 
built,  and  the  story  of  his  adventures  was  more 
romantic  and  fascinating  than  a  novel.  I  wish  I 
could  reproduce  the  quaint  way  in  which  he  recounted 
some  of  his  adventures.  We  got  him  to  show  us  on 
the  map  the  route  that  used  to  be  followed. 

The  old  Santa  Fe  Trail  began  at  Independence, 
issouri ;  passed  through  Westport,  now  a  part  of 
ansas  City;  traversed  the  plains  of  Kansas  in  a 
direction  a  little  south  of  west,  until  it  reached  the 
eat  bend  of  the  Arkansas  River.   Then  it  ran  close 
the  river  until  the  present  western  boundary  line  of 
ansas  was  crossed.    It  cut  off  a  corner  of  Colorado, 
nd  then  passed  into  New  Mexico  and  on  to  Santa 
e,  Fort  Union  being  left  several  miles  to  one  side, 
hat  was  the  line  of  the  original  Santa  Fe  Trail  when 
the  Arkansas  River  was  crossed  at  Fort  Dodge.    It 
was  changed  later  so  that  the  Arkansas  was  crossed 


44  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

at  Fort  Bent,  where  La  Junta  now  is,  and  passed 
through  Trinidad  and  across  the  Raton  Mountains 
on  about  the  line  now  traveled  by  the  Santa  Fe  rail- 
way. The  trail  was  825  miles  long,  and  300  miles 
of  it  was  very  rough  and  rugged.  The  first  five 
hundred  miles  were  not  so  difficult,  as  the  chief 
obstacles  were  the  streams  that  had  to  be  crossed, 
and  the  mudholes,  which  could  generally  be  filled 
up  with  hay.  It  was  different,  however,  in  crossing 
the  mountains.  Said  our  informant:  "There  the 
trail  had  to  be  hewn  out  of  the  steep  hillsides;  the 
ax  had  to  be  used  to  clear  the  trees  and  logs  out  of 
the  canyons;  and  when  the  road-makers  had  done 
their  best,  travel  was  difficult  and  dangerous. 

"In  the  winter  the  snows  would  frequently  drift 
into  the  canyons  and  keep  piling  up  until  every  trace 
of  the  trail  was  obliterated;  and  breaking  a  road 
through  these  deep  snows  was  no  easy  matter. 

"It  took  a  man  with  a  great  deal  of  nerve  to  drive 
six  broncos  over  the  mountains  when  they  had  to 
break  through  these  immense  snow-drifts,  and  stage 
passengers  needed  to  have  about  as  much  nerve  as 
the  driver.  More  dangerous  drives  than  these,  even, 
were  those  which  had  to  be  made  down  the  steep 
mountain-sides  when  they  were  covered  with  ice, 
and  stopping  between  the  crest  and  the  base  of  the 
mountains  was  out  of  the  question.  Then,  if  the 
driver  did  not  thoroughly  understand  his  business; 
if  he  did  not  have  a  steady  head  and  a  quick  eye ;  if 
he  did  not  keep  his  reins  well  in  hand,  and  make 
every  turn  at  the  proper  time,  there  was  certain  to 
be  trouble.  Overturning  a  coach  in  such  circum- 


: 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  45 

nces  was  a  frequent  occurrence,  and  sometimes 
ese  accidents  were  very  serious  ones. 

"  Being  caught  in  one  of  our  mountain  snow- 
storms, when  travelling  became  an  impossibility,  and 
all  that  could  be  done  was  to  sit  shivering  and  freez- 
ing in  the  stage  when  it  came  to  a  stop,  wraiting  for 
e  storm  to  abate,  was  another  trying  experience  for 
those  who  were  so  unfortunate  as  to  have  to  travel 
in  the  winter  time ;  but  being  caught  out  in  a  summer 
hail-  and  thunder-storm  was  even  worse." 

We  asked  him  if  he  had  ever  had  any  adventures 
with  Indians.  "Injuns?"  he  laughed.  "Why,  I've 
had  more  fun  with  Injuns  than  you  could  shake  a 
stick  at.  Uncle  Dick  tells  a  story  about  Injuns. 
Here  it  is.  I  was  the  driver  of  that  coach." 

"A  west-bound  stage  came  in  sight  one  night  just 
at  dark,  with  as  much  as  a  hundred  arrow-points 
and  broken  arrows  sticking  in  the  sides  and  running 
gear  of  the  coach,  and  the  passengers  told  a  story, 
which  is  but  a  sample  of  scores  of  stories  I  have 
heard,  as  I  sat  by  the  fire  with  my  guests  on  an 
evening  when  we  had  a  lot  of  fresh  arrivals. 

"There  were  five  men,  one  woman  and  a  child 

the  party  that  arrived  in  the  battle-scarred  stage, 
nd  they  were  all  on  their  way  to  Santa  Fe. 

"In  coming  through  the  Comanche  country  they 
had  a  military  escort  most  of  the  way,  but  as  they 
saw  no  Indians,  the  escort  turned  back,  leaving  the 
tage  to  go  on  its  way  alone.  They  were  making  good 
time  over  a  perfectly  level  country,  and  the  stage 
driver  was  beginning  to  congratulate  himself  on 
having  made  another  trip  over  the  most  dangerous 


46  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

portion  of  the  old  trail  without  having  an  Indian 
fight,  when  a  passenger  who  sat  beside  him  on  the 
box  called  his  attention  to  what  looked  like  a  large 
ant  hill,  not  more  than  two  hundred  yards  distant, 
near  the  roadside. 

"  Scanning  the  little  mound  closely,  the  driver  at 
once  reached  the  conclusion  that  what  he  saw  was  an 
Indian  covered  up  in  the  sand  where  he  could  see 
the  roadway  and  give  the  signal  for  an  attack  on 
the  stage  at  the  proper  time.  That  a  band  of  Indians 
was  concealed  in  the  long  grass  and  an  ambush  lay 
just  ahead  of  him,  he  was  certain;  and  how  to  avoid 
it  was  the  question.  He  dare  not  turn  back,  and 
turning  out  on  either  side  might  be  to  plunge  into 
the  very  midst  of  the  band  of  savages. 

"He  was  not  long  in  deciding  what  course  he 
would  pursue,  because  there  was  no  time  to  lose.  The 
man  who  sat  beside  him  was  informed  that  there 
were  Indians  ahead,  and  he  was  directed  to  swing 
himself  into  the  coach  and  notify  the  other  passen- 
gers. He  did  so  without  being  told  a  second  time; 
and  the  men  gathered  up  their  guns  and  held  them  at 
the  coach  windows,  ready  to  fire  the  moment  they 
caught  sight  of  the  Indians.  Meantime,  the  driver, 
who  was  as  brave  a  fellow  as  ever  cracked  a  whip 
over  a  stage  team,  had  tightened  his  hold  on  the  reins, 
shook  out  his  long  whip-lash,  and  touching  up  his  six 
broncos,  just  enough  to  put  them  on  their  mettle, 
held  them  in  check  so  that  they  would  appear  to 
the  Indians  to  be  jogging  along  at  the  regulation 
pace,  until  he  got  ready  to  make  his  contemplated 
dash  through  the  ambuscade. 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  47 

"He  waited  until  he  got  within  forty  yards  of 
e  sand-covered  Indian,  when  he  cracked  his  whip 
ver  the  horses  and  uttered  a  series  of  yells  which 
;arted  them  at  once  on  a  dead  run.    At  the  same 
oment   the   suspicious-looking   sand-pile   resolved 
If  into  an  Indian,  who  sprang  to  his  feet  and  gave 
war-whoop  which  brought  a  score  or  more  of  the 
omanches  up  out  of  the  grass  where  they  had  been 
lying  on  either  side  of  the  road. 

"The  driver's  tactics  had  taken  the  Indians  by 
surprise,  and  he  was  through  the  ambuscade  before 
they  could  fairly  bend  their  bowrs.  The  next  moment, 
however,  the  arrows  fell  thick  as  hail-stones  about  the 
stage,  and  a  rifle-ball  cut  a  hole  through  the  broad 
brim  of  the  driver's  hat.  The  passengers  returned 
the  fire,  but  with  what  effect  they  could  not  tell,  as 
they  were  going  at  terrific  speed,  and  the  stage  was 
rolling  from  side  to  side  like  a  ship  in  a  storm. 

"They  were  soon  out  of  reach  of  the  arrows  for 
the  time  being ;  but  within  two  hundred  yards  of  the 
place  where  they  ran  into  the  ambuscade  they  caught 
sight  of  the  Indians'  horses,  which  had  been  hidden 
in  a  ravine,  and  they  knew  that  pursuit  was  certain, 
ealizing  that  there  was  but  one  chance  for  him  to 
save  the  lives  of  the  passengers,  and  his  own  as  well, 
the  stage-driver  kept  his  broncos  forging  along  at 
the  top  of  their  speed,  hoping  to  reach  the  next  stage- 
tation,  four  miles  away,  before  the  Comanches 
ihould  overtake  them.  It  took  the  Indians  some 
ittle  time  to  get  to  their  horses  and  mount  them, 
and  the  stage  had  gotten  a  good  start  in  the  race; 
ut  before  half  the  distance  to  the  station  had  been 


s 

S; 
tl 

t! 

i 

a 

but  befc 


48  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

covered,  the  arrows  again  commenced  whistling  past 
the  driver  and  pelting  the  stage. 

"  Fortunately,  the  men  who  were  on  the  inside 
knew  how  to  use  their  guns,  and  although  it  was 
difficult  to  shoot  with  any  degree  of  accuracy,  on 
account  of  the  rolling  motion  of  the  stage,  they 
managed  to  hit  one  or  two  of  the  Indians,  and  that 
caused  the  redskins  to  fall  back.  Thev  followed  the 


BIRD'S  EYE  VIEW  OF   SANTA  FE  FROM  THE  EAST  MESA 

stage  almost  to  the  station,  however,  and  were  in 
sight  of  it  when  the  panting,  foaming  and  almost 
exhausted  ponies  dashed  into  the  big  stage  barn,  the 
doors  of  which  were  closed  behind  the  coach-load  of 
thoroughly  frightened  passengers. 

"The  stage-station  was  by  no  means  well  garri- 
soned, and  wrould  hardly  have  withstood  much  of  a 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  49 

siege ;  but  the  Indians  knew  well  enough  that  there 
were  a  few  determined  men  there,  and  they  knew 
also  that  to  make  an  assault  on  the  station  meant 
the  killing  of  some  of  their  number.  For  some  time 
they  hovered  about,  apparently  waiting  for  the  stage 
to  resume  its  journey.  Not  until  after  nightfall, 
however,  and  some  time  after  the  Indians  had  been 
seen  riding  away  in  an  opposite  direction,  did  the 
plucky  stage-driver  assure  his  passengers  that  it  was 
safe  to  start  again  on  their  trip  to  Santa  Fe,  to  which 
place  he  carried  them  in  due  time  without  any  more 
thrilling  adventures." 

THE   CITY   OF   SANTA   FE 

LEAVING  the  main  line  at  Lamy  (named  after  a 
former  Archbishop  of  New  Mexico),  a  short  ride 
brought  us  to  the  ancient  city  of  Santa  Fe.  It  is  one 
of  the  most  interesting  cities  of  the  United  States, 
yet  it  is  not  so  old  as  some  people  imagine.  The  oldest 
town  in  New  Mexico  is  San  Gabriel,  now  Chameta, 
between  the  Chama  River  and  the  Rio  Grande.  It 
was  founded  in  1598  by  Juan  de  Onate.  Later,  in 
1605,  the  capital  was  moved  from  San  Gabriel  to 
Santa  Fe,  and  the  history  of  the  latter  city  practically 
begins  from  this  date. 

There  were  two  pueblos  belonging  to  the  Tanos 
Indians  when  the  Spaniards  arrived  on  this  site,  and 
several  villages  of  Indians  were  found  within  a 
radius  of  ten  or  twelve  miles.  In  1617  there  were 
only  forty-eight  colonists  and  soldiers  in  Santa  Fe, 
and  the  Spanish  population  throughout  the  whole 


50  A  LITTLE  JOUKNEY  TO 

country  was  necessarily  very  small.  At  first  there 
seemed  to  be  but  little  friction  between  the  Indians 
and  the  newcomers;  but  in  time  the  Spaniards 
became  despotic  and  cruel,  making  exacting  demands 
on  the  Indians,  which  were  resented  and  in  many 
cases  refused.  Then  trouble  began. 

The  Catholic  Church  was  very  active  throughout 
New  Mexico  during  this  first  century  of  Spanish 
occupation,  and  in  1630  all  the  pueblos  had  formally 
received  Christianity  and  were  under  the  sway  of 
the  Franciscan  padres ;  and  even  as  early  as  1617  the 
records  show  that  there  were  fourteen  thousand 
Indians  baptized,  as  many  more  ready  for  the  rite, 
and  eleven  churches  already  built.  These  wonderful 
changes  speedily  antagonized  the  caciques  and  other 
religious  leaders  of  the  Indians,  and,  making  the 
oppression  of  the  Spaniards  their  theme,  they  were 
able  to  stir  up  considerable  feeling  against  the  new- 
comers. In  Zuni,  which  we  shall  see  later,  two  of  the 
padres  were  murdered  in  1630,  and,  in  1633,  Padre 
Gutierez  was  poisoned  by  the  Hopis.  Another  great 
source  of  discontent  was  found  in  the  fact  that  the 
Spaniards  did  not  protect  the  pueblo  Indians  from 
the  cruel  raids  of  the  hostile  nomad  Indians, — the 
Apaches,  Navahoes  and  Comanches, — as  they  had 
promised. 

It  was  in  the  earliest  days  of  Santa  Fe's  occu- 
pancy that  the  Old  Palace  was  built,  now  occupied 
as  the  State  Museum  of  Archeology  and  by  the  School 
of  American  Archeology.  The  date  of  its  construc- 
tion is  variously  set  from  1598  to  1607.  It  was 
occupied  by  the  Governors  under  the  Spanish  and 


SOME  STKANGE  PLACES  AXD  PEOPLES  51 


exican  regimes,  and  was  used  as  the  Executive 
Palace  in  territorial  days.     In  this  old  building  a 
m  is  shown  in  which  General  Lew  Wallace,  who 
as  then  Governor  of  New  Mexico,   finished  the 
riting  of  his  fascinating  novel,  "Ben  Hur." 

The  Plaza  itself  has  been  the  scene  of  many 
interesting  and  historic  events.    Here  Juan  de  Oiiate 


raj 

roo 
was 

I 


SANTA  FE — THE  GOVERNOR'S  PALACE 

camped  and  set  up  the  banner  of  Spain  in  3598. 
Here  the  Indians  imprisoned  the  Spaniards  during 
their  rebellion  of  1680,  and  when  the  latter  were 
driven  away,  it  was  in  this  square  that  all  the 
archives,  records,  church-furniture  and  parapher- 
nalia were  destroyed  and  burned  by  the  exultant  and 
triumphant  Indians.  On  the  other  hand,  it  was  here 
that  these  same  Indians  came  in  1692  and  humbled 


52  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

themselves  before  De  Vargas  when  he  reconquered 
the  country  for  the  Spaniards.  To  merely  recite  the 
historic  events  that  have  occurred  in  this  plaza  would 
occupy  far  more  pages  than  are  contained  in  this 
book.  The  last  scene  under  Mexican  control  was 
when  General  Kearny,  in  1846,  took  formal  posses- 
sion for  the  United  States. 

SANTA   FE,   BOTH   ANCIENT   AND    MODERN" 

IT  WILL  be  seen  that  Santa  Fe,  therefore,  is  both  an 
ancient  and  modern  city.  Its  present  population  is 
between  nine  and  ten  thousand,  fully  three-fourths 
of  whom  speak  the  Spanish  language.  Most  of  them 
also  speak  English.  There  are  four  Indian  pueblos 
in  Santa  Fe  County,  namely :  San  Ildef  onso,  Tesuque, 
Nambe,  and  Pojoaque.  The  city  occupies  a  most 
picturesque  location  in  the  heart  of  the  Sangre  de 
Cristo  range  of  mountains,  some  of  the  peaks  of 
which  rise  to  a  height  of  12,500  feet  within  a  com- 
paratively short  distance.  From  one  of  these  peaks 
flows  the  Santa  Fe  River,  rising  in  two  lakelets  near 
the  snow-line,  and  furnishing  the  city  with  sparkling 
water  from  melted  snow. 

To  the  east  lies  the  Pecos  National  Forest,  of  five 
hundred  thousand  acres,  across  which  the  Scenic 
Highway  to  Las  Vegas,  already  referred  to,  is  being 
built. 

Within  a  comparatively  short  distance  from  the 
city  are  some  of  the  most  interesting  Indian  ruins 
and  cliff-dwellings  in  the  country,  and  these  were 
deemed  of  such  importance  that  we  spent  several 
days  in  visiting  them,  as  will  be  later  described. 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  53 

THE   MODERN   CITY 

THERE  are  a  number  of  fine  modern  buildings  in 
Santa  Fe,  as  well  as  the  older  historic  ones.  The 
Women's  Board  of  Trade  is  a  pretty  building,  and 


THE   OLD    SAN   MIGUEL  CHURCH,    SANTA   FE 


the  Capitol,  the  Federal  building,  several  of  the 
churches,  colleges,  theaters,  stores,  etc.,  are  equal  to 
those  found  in  any  modern  progressive  city. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  buildings  is  San 
Miguel  church,  built  somewhere  about  the  year  1600 
and  destroyed  in  the  rebellion  of  1680.  Its  adobe 
walls,  however,  were  so  strong  that  they  withstood 


54 


A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 


the  destroying  fire  so  that  they  were  used  in  the 
building  when  it  was  reconstructed  in  1710.  The 
attention  of  visitors  is  always  called  to  the  old  bell 
in  the  rear  of  the  auditorium,  and  also  the  altar 
painting,  which  is  said  to  be  very  old.  The  adjoining 
cemetery  is  the  oldest  in  the  Southwest. 

Within  half  an  hour's  walk  of  the  Plaza  are  the 


FEDERAL  BUILDING,    SANTA   FE 


ruins  of  old  Port  Marcy.  These  ruins  are  on  a  hill 
229  feet  above  the  Plaza;  and  as  there  is  a  good 
wagon  road  to  the  top,  it  affords  an  agreeable  drive, 
giving  one  a  fine  outlook  over  the  city. 

There  are  two  Indian  schools  in  Santa  Fe,  one 
conducted  by  the  Sisters  of  the  Holy  Sacrament,  the 
other  being  a  Government  Industrial  Training  school. 
The  latter  has  over  four  hundred  pupils,  representing 
over  a  score  of  tribes.  We  visited  both  these  schools 
and  were  much  surprised  to  find  that  the  Indian 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  55 

students  of  corresponding  ages  were  as  well  advanced 
in  their  studies^as  were  the  boys  and  girls  of  our  own 
schools  in  Chicago.  We  had  lunch  at  St.  Catherine 
School,  and  were  invited  to  dinner  at  the  Govern- 
ment School,  and  it  was  with  considerable  interest 
that  we  sat  down  at  the  same  table  with  some  of  the 
Indian  boys  and  girls,  laughing,  talking  and  joking 
with  those  whose  parents  so  strenuously  opposed  the 
coming  of  the  white  man  into  their  territory. 

Now  that  New  Mexico  has  statehood,  everybody 
with  whom  we  came  in  contact  expressed  himself  as 
certain  that  Santa  Fe  wxmld  progress  with  far  greater 
rapidity  than  heretofore.  Already  much  is  being 
done  to  attract  a  larger  citizenship,  and  it  is  expected 
that  within  the  next  decade  Santa  Fe  will  make  more 
progress  than  it  has  done  in  the  last  hundred  years. 

In  the  Museum  we  saw  a  wonderful  collection  of 
artifacts  and  curiosities  gathered  from  the  pueblo 
ruins  found  in  great  profusion  some  thirty  miles 
from  Santa  Fe. 

TO   THE  PUEBLO   RUINS 

WE  WEKE  fortunate  in  meeting  Professor  Edgar  L. 
Hewett,  who  has  had  charge  of  the  American  School 
of  Archeology  in  Santa  Fe  since  its  founding,  and 
to  whose  intelligent  direction  the  excavation  of  the 
ruins  is  largely  owing.  After  full  consultation  of 
Professor  Young  and  Dr.  James  with  Professor 
Hewett,  it  was  decided  that  these  ruins  were  of  suffi- 
cient interest  to  justify  our  visiting  them.  Naturally 
my  account  must  be  a  very  incomplete  and  inadequate 


56 


A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 


one,  and  I  can  only  refer  to  a  few  of  the  features 
that  were  particularly  interesting  to  us.  Automobiles 
were  provided  and  we  were  soon  whirling  away  over 
the  mountains  in  a  northwesterly  direction  from 
Santa  Fe  to  the  most  extensive  of  the  ancient  ' i  Cliff 
cities"  of  the  Southwest.  It  is  known  as  Puye,  and 


THE   INDIAN    PUEBLO   OF   TESUQUE,    N.    M. 


occupies  an  imposing  situation  on  the  Pajarito 
plateau. 

We  passed  through  the  pueblo  of  Tesuque,  and 
finally  reached  that  of  Santa  Clara ;  but  as  each  of 
these  is  very  similar,  in  general  appearance,  to 
pueblos  which  we  visited  later,  I  shall  not  attempt 
to  describe  them  here. 

Professor  Hewett,  however,  told  us  a  most  inter- 


SOME  STKANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  57 

esting  story  of  his  "pow-wow"  with  the  Indians  of 
Santa  Clara,  who  at  first  were  bitterly  opposed  to 
any  excavations  taking  place  at  Puye.  He  explained 
to  them  the  purposes  of  the  excavations,  and  finally 


I  I 


CLIFF  DWELLINGS   AT    PUYE,    N.    M. 


won  their  hearty  acquiescence  in  the  proposition, 
after  which  they  gave  all  the  help  they  could  to  make 
them  successful. 

We  found  the  rock  of  Puye  a  mass  of  grayish- 
yellow  tufa,  about  a  mile  long  and  varying  in  width 


58 


A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 


from  ninety  to  seven  hundred  feet.  This  tufa  has 
been  much  worn  during  the  ages  by  water  and  wind 
erosion,  so  that  it  especially  lent  itself  to  the  making 
of  the  cliff  dwellings,  which  are  one  of  the  distinctive 
features  of  these  ancient  settlements. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  dwellings  found  here.  The 


INDIAN    PICTOGRAPHS,    NEW    MEXICO 

first  type  is  a  great  quadrangle  on  the  mesa  top,  an 
arrangement  of  four  huge  community  houses,  around 
a  court,  forming  not  only  a  capacious  residence  for 
a  large  population,  but  an  effective  fortified  citadel. 
The  second  type  are  at  the  base  of  the  cliff,  where 
there  are  three  kinds  of  dwellings,  namely :  1.  Simple 
excavated  caves.  2.  Excavated  caves  with  open  rooms 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  59 

or  porches  built  on  in  front.  3.  Houses  of  stone,  one 
to  three  stories  high,  and  terraced,  that  rest  upon 
the  talus  against  the  cliff. 

At  first  glimpse  the  face  of  the  cliff  in  which 
these  dwellings  have  been  excavated  appears  as  if 
burrowing  animals  had  made  large  caves  for  them- 
selves beneath;  while  numberless  holes  and  slots 
above  suggest  the  presence  of  birds'  nests  to  which 
these  were  the  entrances. 

We  spent  quite  a  little  time  under  Professor 
Hewett's  intelligent  direction  trying  to  reconstruct 
in  our  minds  this  wonderful  city.  The  little  glimpse 
we  had  of  the  pueblos  of  Tesuque  and  Santa  Clara 
had  prepared  us  as  to  the  general  style  of  pueblo 
Indian  architecture.  We  saw  the  excavations  of  a 
great  number  of  rooms,  and  were  particularly  inter- 
ested in  the  kivas,  or  sacred  ceremonial  chambers 
where  all  the  secret  rites  of  these  people  were  per- 
formed. We  saw  numbers  of  pictographs  and  sym- 
bolic decorations,  and  scores  of  stone  implements; 
pottery  in  a  more  or  less  fragmentary  condition,  and 
other  articles  which  revealed  the  state  of  culture  to 
which  these  Indians  had  arrived.  But  after  we  had 
studied  Puye,  we  were  amazed  to  learn  that  this  was 
but  one  of  several  scores  of  such  ruins,  of  greater  or 
lesser  interest,  all  of  which  are  connected  by  a  net- 
work of  trails;  which  clearly  indicates  that  at  one 
time  this  whole  country  was  a  mass  of  pueblo  Indian 
villages  in  which  dwelt  an  extensive  population.  We 
walked  over  trails  that  were  so  worn,  in  some  places, 
as  to  be  hip-deep  in  the  solid  rock,  showing  how 
many  thousands  of  feet  had  passed  over  them  in  the 


60  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

time  that  had  elapsed  since  the  time  when  they  were 
first  laid  out.  Another  interesting  feature  were  the 
navas,  or  game-pit-traps,  in  which,  as  their  name 
implies,  the  Indians  caught  their  game. 

After  spending  a  delightful  day  climbing  until 
we  were  tired,  and  enjoying  the  wonderful  views  that 
were  presented  from  the  top  of  the  Puye  mesa,  we 
returned  to  Santa  Fe.  On  the  return  journey,  Pro- 
fessor Hewett  excited  our  interest  in  another  group 
of  ruins  in  and  near  the  Eito  de  Los  Frijoles,  espe- 
cially with  his  description  of  the  Painted  Cave,  and 
the  two  carved  mountain  lions  which  stand  in  high 
relief  above  the  bed-rock  of  the  mesa.  We  begged 
so  hard  to  be  taken  to  see  these  that  the  next  day 
we  were  taken  out  by  way  of  the  pueblo  of  Cochiti 
and  thence  to  this  treasure-land  of  historic  wonders. 
If  I  had  time  and  space  I  could  well  fill  many  pages 
in  describing  the  wonderful  and  fascinating  scenery 
that  we  saw  on  this  trip.  We  people  who  live  in  the 
East  have  no  conception  of  the  entrancing  character 
of  these  landscapes.  We  followed  old  trails  and 
climbed  over  mesas  which  gave  us  pictures  of  super- 
nal beauty.  The  air  was  so  clear  and  pure  that  it 
seemed  to  intoxicate  us  and  take  away  all  weariness. 

We  visited  the  interesting  ruins  of  Tyuonyi 
and  then  hastened  to  see  the  famous  "Shrine  of 
Mokatch."  Here,  among  pinions  and  junipers, 
which  have  doubtless  grown  up  since  the  shrine  was 
established,  we  were  shown  a  place  that  must  be  the 
American  Stonehenge.  Great  slabs  of  rock  standing 
on  end  made  a  rude  enclosure  in  which  we  found 
the  stone  lions  of  our  search.  I  shall  not  attempt 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  61 


to  explain  the  meaning  of  these  lions  in  this  place, 
as  this  will  be  found  in  the  description  of  the  hunting 
fetiches  used  by  the  Zuni  Indians;  but  many  of 
the  fetiches  of  the  Zunis  are  tiny  little  things  that 
could  easily  be  carried  in  a  lady's  purse,  while  these 
are  life-size.  They  have  suffered  somewhat  by  the 
erosion  of  the  centuries,  yet  they  are  still  strikingly 
lifelike  and  real.  The  heads  and  shoulders  have 
become  almost  indistinguishable,  but  the  bodies  and 
tails  are  still  clear  and  distinct.  The  lions  are  in 
the  crouching  position  always  taken  by  these  animals 
just  before  making  their  deadly  spring. 

What  made  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  this  region 
carve  these  creatures,  it  is  not  now  easy  to  tell,  but 
it  undoubtedly  had  something  to  do  with  the  chase ; 
for  the  mountain  lion  is  the  king  of  beasts  of  prey, 
and,  as  is  explained  about  the  Zuni  fetiches,  he  is 
therefore  the  most  important  of  all  the  objects  to  be 
consulted  and  propitiated  when  a  hunter  goes  out 
after  game. 

We  were  delighted  to  learn  that  plaster  casts  of 
these  figures  had  been  made  by  Professor  Frederick 
Starr,  of  the  Chicago  University,  which  are  to  be 
found  in  the  Walker  Museum.  We  have  since  visited 
them  with  great  pleasure. 

We  did  not  visit  the  Painted  Cave,  as  time  would 
not  allow,  but  we  saw  some  interesting  pictures  which 
showed  us  the  pictographs  and  strange  Indian 
symbols  painted  upon  its  walls  in  red,  white  and 
black. 


62  A  LITTLE  JOUENEY  TO 

ALBUQUERQUE;    THE   COMMERCIAL    CENTER   OF 
NEW   MEXICO 

DELIGHTED  beyond  measure  with  what  we  had  seen 
at  Santa  Fe,  we  left  with  a  strange  mixture  of  reluc- 
tance and  impatience  for  Albuquerque.  What  a  new 
world  we  were  in!  Everything  was  so  strange  and 
romantic,  and  the  scenery  such  a  commingling  of 


BIRD'S    EYE   VIEW  ALBUQUERQUE,    N.    M. 

picturesqueness  and  wildness — rugged  grandeur  com- 
peting with  pastoral  serenity  to  attract  our  attention 
so  that  our  minds  were  in  a  state  of  constant  excita- 
tion at  the  varied  scenic  and  historic  marvels 
presented  to  us. 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AXD  PEOPLES 


63 


We  found  Albuquerque  more  like  our  eastern  cities 
than  any  place  we  had  yet  visited,  although  its  close 
proximity  to  the  grand  and  majestic  mountains  gives 
it  a  distinctly  western  appearance.  We  were  told 
that  this  is  the  most  progressive  town  of  New  Mexico, 
and  we  could  readily  believe  it.  We  were  installed 
in  beautiful  rooms  at  the  great  Mission  hotel,  the 


THE  ALVARADO   MISSION   HOTEL,   ALBUQUERQUE,    N.    M. 

Alvarado,  which  arrests  the  attention  in  the  most 
striking  fashion  as  soon  as  one  leaves  the  train.  It  is 
a  long,  low  building  with  rough  gray  walls,  and 
arched  colonnades.  The  roofs  are  of  red  tiles,  and 
there  are  a  number  of  quaint  Mission  towers  remind- 
ing us  of  the  Old  Missions  we  had  seen  in  California. 
Across  the  plains  we  saw  the  Sandia  Mountains, 


64  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

which  some  of  the  Indians  regard  with  great 
veneration  as  being  the  " Sacred  Turtle"  of  their 
mythology. 

After  dinner  at  the  Alvarado,  served  in  Fred 
Harvey's  inimitable  style,  we  spent  the  rest  of  the 
evening  in  visiting  the  museum  of  Indian  works  of 
art,  etc.,  gathered  together  in  this  unique  building. 


COMMERCIAL   CLUB,    ALBUQUERQUE,    N.    M. 

It  is  a  most  wonderful  exhibition  of  Indian  art-craft, 
and  is  a  revelation  to  those  who  think  of  the  Indian 
orly  as  a  rude  and  ignorant  savage.  We  watched 
Elle  of  Ganado,  the  most  noted  weaver  of  the  Navaho 
tribe,  making  one  of  her  wonderful  blankets,  and  we 
were  able  to  understand  something  of  the  marvelous 
ability  shown  by  these  weavers  as  we  watched  her 


c« 
W 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES     65 

six-year-old  girl  by  her  side  do  the  same  work.  With 
instinctive  genius,  the  little  tot  mentally  constructs 
her  own  designs,  and  then,  with  a  skill  that  could 
only  have  been  acquired  by  centuries  of  heredity,  she 
proceeds  to  weave  the  suggestions  of  her  brain.  Her 
blankets  sell  for  a  high  price,  and  are  eagerly  sought 
for  by  collectors,  not  only  because  they  are  the  work 
of  a  child,  but  because  of  their  intrinsic  value  as  fine 
specimens  of  Navaho  weaving. 

The  next  day  we  were  taken  around  the  city  in 
automobiles  by  the  president  of  the  Commercial  Club. 
We  saw  the  wonderful  lumber  yard  where  hundreds 
of  millions  of  feet  of  lumber  were  piled  up,  and 
when  we  saw  the  mills  of  the  American  Lumber  Com- 
pany and  other  firms,  employing  between  three  and 
four  thousand  men,  and  capable  of  turning  out  over 
a  half  million  feet  of  lumber  a  day,  we  did  not  wonder 
at  the  immense  area  stacked  up  with  lumber.  We 
saw  the  largest  wool-scouring  plant  in  the  West, 
where  seven  million  pounds  of  wool  are  scoured 
annually,  and  numbers  of  manufacturing  plants 
hich  clearly  reveal  that  this  western  people  do  not 
intend  to  have  all  their  manufacturing  done  in  the 
East  and  pay  tribute  for  it  in  the  way  of  freight  to 
the  railroads. 

The  population  of  the  city  is  in  the  neighborhood 
of  twenty-five  thousand,  and  its  fifty  miles  of  streets 
are  well  bound  together  with  a  good  electric  street 
car  system.  Many  of  its  buildings  are  architecturally 
striking,  especially  those  of  the  " University  Pueblo." 
These  are  the  two  new  dormitories  of  the  New  Mexico 
University,  and  are  peculiarly  appropriate  for  this 


66 


A  LITTLE  JOUBNEY  TO 


country,  as  they  are  built  in  imitation  of  pueblo 
houses.  While  they  are  furnished  with  steam  heat, 
electric  light  and  all  modern  conveniences,  they  have 
ancient  Indian  names, — the  dormitory  of  the  men 
being  called  Kwataka,  meaning  " man-eagle,"  and 
the  women's,  Hokona,  or  " maiden."  These  dormi- 


ADMINISTRATION     BUILDING,     UNIVERSITY     OF     NEW     MEXICO, 
ALBUQUERQUE,    N.    M. 


tories  are  built  around  an  extensive  plaza,  and  it  is 
the  ultimate  intention  to  erect  other  buildings  in  the 
same  style,  so  that  when  completed  it  will  be  one 
of  the  most  unique  collections  of  modern  university 
buildings  in  the  world. 

The  altitude  of  Albuquerque  is  forty-nine  hundred 
feet,  and  eighty-eight  out  of  every  hundred  days 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  67 

present  a  sky  that  is  perfectly  cloudless.  The  average 
rainfall  is  eight  inches,  less  than  one-half  that  of 
Los  Angeles,  California.  But  though  there  is  so 
slight  a  rainfall,  there  is  abundance  of  water  for 
irrigation  secured  from  the  nearby  mountains  and 
from  the  Rio  Grande  river,  which  flows  close  by. 

While  the  Albuquerque  of  today  is  practically  a 
new  town,  being  only  twenty-five  years  old,  its  name 
comes  down  from  the  old  Spanish  days  when  the 
Duke  of  Albuquerque  was  one  of  the  important 
factors  in  the  Spanish  rule  of  the  new  race.  There 
is  an  "Old  Albuquerque,"  and  it  is  the  county-seat 
of  Bernalillo  County.  Though  connected  by  street 
car  with  the  modern  city,  and  only  ten  minutes'  ride 
away,  it  is  not  included  in  the  city  limits,  but  has 
its  own  independent  organization. 

The  old  Spanish  city  of  Atrisco  used  to  be  located 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  but  when  the  Santa  Fe 
Railway  was  built,  the  old  city  was  practically  aban- 
doned when  it  was  decided  to  locate  a  city  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  river. 

THE  INDIAN   SCHOOL 

ABOUT  a  mile  from  the  center  of  the  city  is  the 
Government  Indian  School,  with  an  enrollment  of 
three  hundred  Indians,  mostly  Navahoes  and  Pueblos. 
The  buildings  stand  within  their  own  grounds,  wThich 
comprise  sixty  acres,  and  there  are  shops  for  teaching 
plumbing,  blacksmithing,  carpentering,  steam-fitting, 
and  a  number  of  other  branches  of  industrial  occupa- 
tions. The  girls  are  taught  housework  and  domestic 


68  A  LITTLE  JOUENEY  TO 

science,  including  cooking  and  the  cutting-out  and 
making  of  their  own  clothes.  The  school  has  its  own 
brass-band,  and  we  were  treated  to  a  fine  concert,  as 
well  as  to  an  interesting  drill  by  the  students. 

Albuquerque  is  a  great  railroad  center,  for  here 
the  three  main  lines  of  the  Santa  Fe  system  meet,— 
that  from  the  east,  that  from  the  west,  and  the 


U.    S.   INDIAN  SCHOOL  AT   ALBUQUERQUE,    N.   M. 

one  that  goes  south  to  the  Mexican  line.  We  con- 
tinued our  journey  on  the  Pacific  branch. 

THE   PUEBLO   OF    ISLETA 

IT  SEEMED  that  scarcely  had  we  left  Albuquerque 
and  crossed  the  Rio  Grande  than  we  reached  the 
Indian  village  of  Isleta.  Here  we  were  courteously 
greeted  by  Father  Docher,  a  cultured  French  priest 
who  has  long  been  the  trusted  friend  and  adviser  of 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 


69 


these  Indians.  We  spent  a  full  day  in  visiting  their 
homes,  in  seeing  their  beautiful  orchards  and  fields, 
which  they  know  how  to  irrigate  to  perfection  and 
keep  in  first-class  condition. 


THE   PUEBLO   OF   ISLETA,    N.    M. 


A   RABBIT   HUNT 

THEN,  to  our  joy,  a  rabbit  hunt  was  arranged  for  our 
especial  pleasure,  in  the  ancient  style  and  with  no 
other  weapons  than  the  old-fashioned  "  thro  wing- 
stick,"  which  seems  like  an  American  representation 
of  the  Australian  boomerang.  It  is  a  slightly  curved, 
flat  stick  made  of  the  gnarled  and  tough  wood  of  the 
mesquite,  pinion,  or  juniper,  and  about  two  feet  long 
and  an  inch  or  an  inch  and  a  half  broad. 

It  happened  that  the  rabbits  were  very  plentiful 


70  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

at  the  time  of  our  visit,  and  the  Indians  had  about 
arranged  for  a  hunt  to  take  place.  At  the  request 
of  Father  Docher  they  graciously  consented  to  change 
their  date  so  that  we  could  witness  the  event. 

To  the  south  and  west  of  the  town  extends  an 


PUEBLO  INDIAN  WITH  THROWING  STICK,  READY  FOR  THE  RABBIT 

HUNT 


expansive  plain,  and  on  this  the  " round  up"  of  the 
rabbits  was  to  occur.  It  was  late  in  the  afternoon 
before  we  reached  the  spot  from  which  we  were  to 
observe  the  hunt.  We  were  on  a  slight  elevation, 
which  gave  us  a  good  view  of  the  whole  area.  When 
everything  was  ready,  the  leader  of  the  hunting  party 
gave  his  instructions,  and  with  considerable  rapidity 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  71 

a  line  of  men,  youths  and  boys  was  formed,  stretching 
for  a  mile  or  more  across  the  plain.  Then  the  signal 
was  given  to  advance.  Knowing  the  habits  of  the 
rabbits,  the  hunters  waited  until  late  enough  in  the 
afternoon  for  the  coming  out  of  their  prey  to  their 
evening  meal.  Now,  steadily  marching  forward,  but 
carefully  watching,  the  actual  " round  up"  began. 
Each  man  held  in  his  hand  his  throwing-stick  ready 
for  action  at  a  moment's  notice,  and  every  once  in  a 
while  we  would  see  it  leave  his  hand  with  a  speed 
that  was  remarkable.  Generally  a  shout  of  triumph 
followed  its  flight,  and  in  the  distance  we  could  see 
the  game  picked  up  and  thrust  under  the  belt  of  the 
hunter.  As  the  line  of  hunters  approached  nearer 
to  where  we  stood  we  saw  quite  a  number  of  rabbits 
fleeing  in  the  peculiar  zigzag  fashion  in  which  they  try 
to  escape.  But  now  another  line  of  hunters  swooped 
down  upon  them  from  another  angle,  and  many  of 
the  scared  little  creatures  were  speedily  slain  and 
picked  up.  The  remarkable  thing  about  the  hunt 
was  the  accuracy  of  the  aim  of  the  hunters  with 
their  throwing-sticks.  They  seemed  to  be  able  to 
calculate  the  distance  between  themselves  and  their 
prey  and  the  speed  at  which  the  latter  were  running, 
and  while  to  us  it  seemed  impossible  to  guess  which 
way  the  little  creatures  would  dart  in  their  frantic 
efforts  to  escape,  the  Indians  seemed  to  know 
instinctively,  and  seldom  missed  their  aim.  As  a 
result,  it  was  a  triumphant  party  that  returned  to 
the  village  that  night. 

Although  we  were  tired  on  our  return,  we  were 
almost  as  much  interested  in  seeing  the  way  the 


72  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

rabbits  were  prepared  for  food  as  we  had  been  in 
seeing  them  hunted.  We  were  told  that  the  Pueblo 
Indians  will  never  fry  a  rabbit  nor  eat  any  part 
of  one  that  has  thus  been  cooked.  The  only  way 
they  prepare  them  is,  after  skinning  and  drawing 
them,  to  take  their  long  ears  and  fix  them  into  a 
kind  of  knot  on  the  top  of  the  head ;  then  the  hind 
legs  are  crossed  and  pinned  behind  the  back,  while 
the  fore  legs  are  twisted  until  the  ankles  lie  snugly 
under  the  junction  of  the  shoulder  with  the  body. 
Thus  prepared,  they  are  either  roasted  in  the  open- 
air  ovens,  which  I  have  described  elsewhere,  or 
stewed.  Those  that  were  brought  to  us  were  stewed 
in  an  underground  oven.  This  oven  was  a  plastered 
hole  in  the  ground,  protected  by  a  little  enclosure 
above  ground,  and  with  a  stone  slab  which  could  be 
placed  over  the  hole.  A  fire  of  wood  was  made  in 
the  hole,  and  when  it  was  pretty  well  burned  down,  the 
jar  in  which  the  rabbit  was  placed,  with  a  sufficiency 
of  water  to  cook  it,  was  lowered  into  the  oven,  the 
stone  slab  placed  over  it  and  plastered  with  mud  so 
as  to  make  it  air-tight,  and  then  left  to  cook.  There  is 
no  denying  that  the  dish  was  delicious,  the  gravy 
having  been  thickened  by  the  addition  of  a  little  corn- 
meal  which  we  had  seen  one  of  the  girls  grinding. 

Isleta  is  a  most  interesting  pueblo.  It  was  located 
here  when  the  Spaniards  reached  the  country,  going 
on  four  hundred  years  ago,  and  how  much  earlier  it 
is  impossible  to  tell.  It  was  here  that  Mr.  Charles  F. 
Lummis  lived  for  four  years.  He  has  written  several 
most  interesting  books  about  this  country,  all  of 
which  should  find  a  place  in  every  school  library  in 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 


the  United  States,  and  the  reading  of  which  is  far 
more  fascinating  than  most  romances. 


TO  LAGUNA 


ALTHOUGH  there  were  many  more  things  we  still 
would  have  liked  to  see  at  Isleta,  we  left  the  next 


THE   PUEBLO   OF   LAGUNA,    N.    M. 


morning  for  Laguna,  at  which  point  Dr.  James 
assured  us  we  should  enter  upon  the  most  fascinating 
portion  of  our  trip.  We  questioned  whether  any- 
thing could  be  more  attractive  and  fascinating  than 
what  we  had  already  seen,  but  he  shook  his  head, 


74  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

smiled,  and  bade  us  wait  a  while.  On  our  arrival  at 
Laguna  we  were  most  hospitably  entertained,  some 
of  us  in  the  home  of  Major  George  H.  Pradt,  and 
the  others  at  the  homes  of  the  Marmon  brothers,  all 
of  whom  settled  at  Laguna  many  years  ago,  where 
they  married  Pueblo  Indian  wives  and  identified 
themselves  with  the  people.  They  all  have  beautiful 
children  who  are  well  educated  and  who  helped  to 
make  our  visit  most  interesting,  giving  us  many 
intimate  glimpses  of  the  home  life  of  the  people  that 
otherwise  we  could  not  have  obtained. 

Laguna  is  so  named  from  the  Laguna,  or  lake, 
which  is  simply  a  natural  excavation  in  the  solid 
sandstone  upon  which  the  little  village  is  built.  Not 
far  away  runs  the  Rio  San  Jose,  the  small  stream 
being  named  for  the  patron  saint  of  Laguna.  The 
rock  upon  which  the  pueblo  stands  is  slightly  elevated 
above  the  surrounding  country,  and  the  Santa  Fe 
railway  now  winds  around  near  its  base,  so  that  all 
travellers  have  a  good  view  of  the  strange  and  pic- 
turesque dwellings  of  the  town.  Here  are  terraced- 
houses  the  same  as  those  we  saw  at  Santa  Clara  and 
Cochiti,  which  seem  to  be  built  of  adobe  but  are  not. 
They  are  constructed  of  small  pieces  of  sandstone, 
found  in  large  quantities  on  the  tops  of  these  dis- 
integrating masses  of  rock,  cemented  together  with 
mud,  and  then  well  plastered  and  whitewashed.  The 
roofs  are  flat  and  made  solid  and  strong  enough  to 
allow  of  their  being  used  for  actual  out-of-door  living 
purposes  by  those  who  occupy  the  story  above  them. 

This  town  is  not  an  old  one,  having  been  founded 
in  July,  1699,  when  it  was  made  a  pueblo.  Prior  to 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES     75 


this  time  it  had  been  merely  a  mission.  The  Indians 
own  over  125,225  acres,  mostly  of  desert  land,  granted 
to  them  by  the  Spanish  Crown;  and  with  pathetic 
industry  they  toil  to  raise  squashes,  melons,  onions, 
and  other  vegetables,  with  a  few  peaches  and  apricots, 
in  places  where  they  can  irrigate  these  lands,  or  where 
subsoil  irrigation  gives  to  them  a  reasonable  expecta- 
tion that  crops  will  grow. 

There  are  nineteen  clans  or  families  of  which  the 
people  are  composed,  as  follows :  Bear,  Sun,  Badger, 
Eagle,  Watersnake,  Rattlesnake,  Coyote,  Yellow  Corn 
and  Red  Corn,  Water,  Turkey,  Wolf,  Earth,  Moun- 
tain Lion,  Parrot,  Turquoise,  Chaparral  Cock, 
Antelope,  Lizard,  and  Oak. 

According  to  Laguna  traditions,  the  Bear,  Eagle, 
Water,  Turkey,  and  Corn  clans,  together  with  some 
members  of  the  Coyote  clan,  came  originally  from 
Acoma;  the  Badger,  Parrot,  Chaparral  Cock,  and 
Antelope  clans  and  some  members  of  the  Coyote 
clan  came  from  Zuni;  the  Sun  people  originated 
probably  from  San  Felipe;  the  Water,  in  Sia;  the 
Rattlesnake,  in  Oraibi ;  the  Wolf  and  Turquoise,  in 
Sandia ;  the  Earth  clan  in  Jemez ;  while  the  Moun- 
tain Lion  and  Oak  people  claim  to  have  come  from 
Mount  San  Mateo.  The  Lizard  clan  is  of  unknown 
origin.  It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  Laguna  is  a 
town  of  mixed  nationalities,  there  being  four  dis- 
tinct stocks  represented,  as  well  as  all  these  different 
villages.  These  linguistic  stocks  are  Keresan, 
Tanoan,  Shoshonean,  and  Zunian. 

In  1905  the  population  of  the  Laguna  people 
was  1,384.  It  used  to  be  the  habit  of  this  tribe  to 


76  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

occupy  the  single  village  of  Laguna,  going  away 
during  the  summer  months  to  their  farms,  scattered 
in  several  groups  throughout  the  country;  but  in 
1871,  doubtless  owing  to  the  warnings  given  them 
that  the  white  men  might  seize  their  farms  if  they 
did  not  continuously  occupy  them,  they  began  to 
establish  permanent  homes  at  the  former  summer 
villages  of  Casa  Blanca,  Cubero,  Hasatch,  Paguate, 
Ensenil,  Santa  Ana,  Paraje,  Tsiama,  and  Puertecito, 
all  of  which  are  within  a  radius  of  fifteen  or  twenty 
miles.  Paguate  is  the  oldest  and  most  popular  of 
these  summer  villages,  having  a  population  of  nearly 
four  hundred. 

At  Laguna,  or  any  of  the  summer  villages,  one 
may  see  the  simple  and  primitive  customs  of  these 
people.  They  plant  their  corn  with  a  small  planting 
stick,  just  as  their  ancestors  did  in  the  "Days  of  the 
Old,"  and  they  dig  their  rude  irrigating  ditches 
exactly  the  same  as  their  forefathers  did  long  cen- 
turies before  they  gathered  together  and  formed  this 
new  town  of  Laguna. 

They  thresh  their  wheat  in  an  interesting  and 
picturesque  fashion  that  reminds  one  of  Bible  days. 
In  a  large  circular  corral,  formed  of  heavy  tree-trunks, 
they  spread  the  sheaves  of  ripened  grain,  having 
first  thoroughly  swept  the  ground  clean.  They  then 
turn  loose  into  the  corral  ten  or  a  dozen  head  of 
horses,  on  the  backs  of  two  of  which  boys  or  young 
men  are  seated  who  drive  the  others  around  and 
around  to  trample  out  the  grain.  Every  now  and 
again,  while  going  at  full  speed,  the  riders  suddenly 
pull  up  their  horses,  turn  them  around,  and  thus 


SOME  STKANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  77 


rface  the  leaders  of  the  trampling  band.  This  is  done 
so  quickly  that  as  the  horses  turn  to  run  in  the  other 
direction  they  " scuffle"  up  the  grain  and  thus  make 

I  their  trampling  more  effective.  As  soon  as  the 
trampling  is  done,  the  straw  is  thrown  up  in  the  air 
by  means  of  pitchforks,  so  that  all  the  grain  may  be 


LAGUNA   INDIANS   THRESHING    OUT   WHEAT 

dropped  out,  and  in  this  way  the  straw  is  pretty 
thoroughly  separated.  The  women  then  gather  up 
the  grain  and  chaff  that  remain,  taking  them  to  their 
houses,  and  there,  when  the  wind  blows  sufficiently 
strong,  they  may  be  seen  winnowing  the  chaff  from 
the  grain  by  the  simple  and  most  primitive  method 
known.  Spreading  out  a  large  sheet,  on  one  side  of 
which  the  mixed  grain  and  chaff  lie,  the  winnower 


78 


A  LITTLE  JOUBNEY  TO 


picks  up  a  good-sized  basketful,  and,  standing  so  as 
to  best  catch  the  wind,  she  gently  pours  out  the  grain 
from  her  basket.  The  wind  carries  away  the  chaff, 
while  the  heavier  grain  drops  directly  down  upon 
the  sheet.  As  soon  as  the  grain-pile  is  large  enough, 


INTERIOR  LAGUNA  HOUSE,   NEW  MEXICO 

she  fills  up  her  baskets,  pottery  bowls  or  sacks,  and 
the  grain  is  stored  away  for  winter  use. 

We  entered  the  houses  of  several  of  the  Laguna 
people.  The  floors  were  all  of  adobe,  packed  solid 
by  moccasined  feet  which  for  many  years  had  trod- 
den over  them.  While  originally  they  had  no  chairs, 
bedsteads  or  other  articles  of  furniture,  as  we  under- 
stand the  terms,  always  sitting  and  sleeping  upon 


SOME  STEANGB  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES     79 


I 


the  floor,  many  of  them  now  have  these  modern 
conveniences. 

To  please  us,  however,  and  give  us  an  idea  of 
their  primitive  methods,  our  guide  arranged  with 
some  of  his  old  friends  to  have  a  dinner  in  the  olden 
style.  While  this  was  being  prepared,  we  wandered 
around,  and  when  the  hour  arrived  we  were  eager 
to  partake  of  the  aboriginal  feast.  When  we  entered 
the  room,  all  the  chairs,  etc.,  had  been  removed  and 
the  food  was  spread  out  on  the  floor.  There  were 
no  plates,  for  flat  plaques  and  bowl-shaped  baskets 
had  been  substituted  for  them.  They  had  pottery 
bowls  of  their  own  manufacture,  and  some  of  the 
baskets  were  also  used  as  bowls. 

And  what  do  you  think  we  had  for  dinner  ?  First 
of  all,  I  must  tell  you  how  we  all  seated  ourselves 
just  as  our  three  entertainers  did, — two  old  women 
and  one  old  man, — by  squatting  down  on  the  ground. 
In  a  large  room  which  adjoined  the  one  in  which  we 
were  to  eat,  suspended  from  the  rafters  by  three 
strips  of  woven  rawhide,  were  two  long  poles,  over 
which  were  thrown  numbers  of  native  blankets, 
squaws'  dresses,  and  dressed  skins  of  coyotes,  ante- 
lopes, deer,  and  bear.  We  were  told  that  these  were 
the  " poles  of  the  soft  stuff"  and  that  they  served  the 
same  purpose  as  the  bureaus  of  the  whites.  From 
these  " poles  of  the  soft  stuff"  skins  and  blankets 
were  brought,  upon  which  we  sat,  and  it  was  with 
some  interest  and  curiosity  that  we  turned  our  atten- 
tion to  the  meal. 

Dr.  James  said  they  must  have  gone  to  a  great 
deal  of  trouble  to  borrow  from  the  neighbors  the 


80  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

beautiful  baskets  from  which  we  ate.  Each  one  had 
been  thoroughly  scrubbed  clean,  and  as  a  concession 
to  our  civilized  notions  we  were  each  provided  with 
a  spoon.  The  center  dish  was  a  large  bowl  filled  with 
what  I  should  call  a  mutton  stew,  though  we  after- 
wards found  that  there  was  some  venison  as  well  as 
mutton  in  it.  The  meat  was  cut  up  into  small  cubes, 
and  there  were  potatoes,  brown  beans,  onions,  toma- 
toes and  a  good  number  of  chili  peppers.  The  dish 
was  hot  with  these  peppers,  but  we  all  agreed  that 
it  was  as  tasty  a  stew  as  we  had  even  eaten  in  our 
lives.  We  were  told  not  to  indulge  too  freely  in 
this,  as  another  course  was  to  come.  It  appeared 
that  Dr.  James  had  been  peeking  around  and  had 
found  that  a  whole  sheep  was  being  cooked  in  our 
honor.  And  before  it  was  brought  in,  he  insisted 
upon  our  going  to  see  the  process  of  cooking. 

Out  of  doors,  or,  as  we  should  say,  "right  in  the 
street, "  was  the  oven,  a  peculiar  bee-hive  or  dome- 
shaped  structure  made  of  pieces  of  sandstone  and 
adobe,  and  standing  perhaps  between  three  and  five 
feet  high.  There  was  a  fair-sized  opening  in  front 
of  it  which  could  be  closed  up  with  a  stone  slab.  On 
the  top  was  a  hole  three  or  four  inches  in  diameter, 
which  acted  as  a  chimney  and  which  could  likewise 
be  closed  up  with  a  stone  slab.  It  was  explained  to  us 
that  the  oven  was  prepared  by  putting  plenty  of  dry 
wood  into  it,  which  was  fired  and  allowed  to  burn 
down.  The  ashes  were  then  hastily  withdrawn  and 
the  floor  of  the  oven  washed  out  with  a  rag  fastened 
to  a  stick,  exactly  as  a  modern  baker  might  do  to  his 
brick  oven.  The  meat  was  then  put  in  to  roast,  and 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  81 


UJ 

» 


8 


the  aperture  at  the  top  closed  with  a  piece  of  rock 
round  which  wet  mud  was  placed;   and  the  same 
thing  was  done  with  the  slab  at  the  doorway,  thus 
ractically  making  the  oven  air-  and  steam-tight, 
lose   by  was   another  oven  in  which  bread   was 
being  baked. 

In  both  cases  the  cooks  must  have  been  pretty 
good  guessers  to  determine  when  the  food  was  done, 
for,  as  far  as  I  could  see,  they  had  no  way  of  trying 
it,  and  yet  the  bread,  biscuit  and  meat  were  perfectly 
cooked  when  they  were  set  before  us.  Whether  it 
was  the  novelty  of  eating  with  Indians,  or  that  our 
appetites  were  sharpened,  certain  it  is  that  I  never 
tasted  mutton  that  was  any  more  appetizing  than 
this ;  and,  to  our  surprise,  we  were  regaled  with  two 
side-dishes,  both  of  which  were  delicious.  One  was 
corn  on  the  cob,  which  had  been  roasted  in  the  ashes, 
and  the  other  was  chunks  of  squash  or  pumpkin, 
which  had  been  baked  in  the  oven  with  the  meat. 

They  gave  us  four  different  kinds  of  bread,  and 
we  were  told  that  they  were  prepared  by  four  differ- 
ent persons.  First  of  all  were  the  tortillas,  which 
were  made  by  simply  mixing  corn-meal  with  water, 
the  dough  being  patted  and  stretched  out  until  quite 
thin,  and  then  baked  on  a  hot  slab.  The  second  kind  was 
very  near  to  the  ordinary  hardtack  one  buys,  though 
it  was  made  of  the  flour  of  whole  wheat,  with  the 
bran  and  everything  else  allowed  to  remain  in,  with 
a  mixture  of  corn-meal  and  some  of  the  wild  grass 
seeds  from  which  the  Indians  also  make  flour.  While 
it  was  hard  and  solid,  it  was  not  quite  so  brittle  as 
ship-biscuit,  and  seemed  to  me  to  be  far  more  tasty. 


82 


A  LITTLE  JOUHNEY  TO 


We  all  enjoyed  it  so  much  that  we  each  of  us  begged 
a  good  big  piece  to  take  away.  The  third  kind  was 
a  bread  we  afterwards  became  familiar  with  at  Zuni, 
where  it  was  called  lie-ive,  and  in  the  Hopi  country, 
in  which  latter  region  it  was  called  pi-ki;  but  I  forget 
what  it  was  called  at  Laguna.  We  were  so  much 
interested  in  it  that  they  showed  us  how  it  was  made. 
A  mixture  of  corn-meal,  white-flour  and  grass-seed 


PUEBLO    INDIAN   WOMAN   MAKING   PI-KI 

flour  was  mixed  into  a  thin  batter.  Outside  the  house 
a  large  stone  slab  was  resting  in  such  a  way  that  a 
fire  could  be  built  underneath  it.  This  slab  was  as 
smooth  and  as  well  greased  as  any  white  cook's 
griddle,  and  we  soon  saw  why.  When  the  slab  was 
quite  hot,  our  hostess,  after  greasing  it  with  a  piece 
of  mutton  f  atT  dipped  her  fingers  into  the  batter,  and, 
with  a  motion  as  deft  as  it  was  rapid,  passed  them 
back  and  forth  over  the  slab,  dipping  them  now  and 
again  in  the  batter  to  bring  up  a  fresh  supply. 
Quicker  than  I  have  been  able  to  write  these  words, 
the  thin  mixture  was  cooked  into  a  sheet  of  wafer- 


SOME  STBAXGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES     83 


UJ 

r 

bi 


ike  thinness,  which,  before  it  had  time  to  become 
brittle  was  folded  over  and  over  and  over  until  it 
as  about  the  size  and  thickness  of  a  shredded  wTheat 
iscuit.  We  have  since  seen  this  wafer  bread  made 
in  different  colors,  sometimes  it  was  a  pale  green,  or 
with  a  bluish  tinge,  sometimes  a  light  brown  and  at 
other  times  with  a  pink  tinge. 

The  fourth  kind  of  bread  was  simply  ordinary 
white  bread  made  into  cakes  and  small  biscuits.  We 
learned  that  it  had  been  made  for  us  by  Annie  Mor- 
ton, a  Laguna  girl  who  had  been  well  educated  in  the 
various  Indian  schools.  She  was  an  old  friend  of 
Dr.  James,  and  seeing  him  at  a  distance  and  learning 
that  we  were  to  have  a  native  feast,  had  sent  this  ad- 
dition to  our  table. 

We  afterward  met  Annie  and  found  her  a  most 
refined,  cultivated,  well  educated  and  intelligent  girl. 
Indeed,  in  her  knowledge  of  the  things  that  we  our- 
selves were  studying  in  the  Chicago  schools  she  was 
our  superior.  She  had  been  the  secretary,  steno- 
grapher and  typewriter  for  a  gentleman  in  Southern 
California,  by  whom  she  was  highly  esteemed  both 
for  her  character  and  ability.  She  was  now  home  for 
a  little  holiday  with  her  people,  as  once  in  a  while 
there  came  over  her  a  longing  to  visit  with  those  of 
her  own  kin. 

Our  dessert  was  served  with  the  rest  of  the  din- 
ner in  little  pottery  bowls  or  saucers  of  home  manu- 
facture. It  consisted  of  dried  peaches  sweetened 
with  white  man's  sugar.  In  addition  to  this,  we  had 
coffee.  It  was  not  of  a  quality  to  brag  much  about 
and  we  afterwards  learned  that  it  was  a  brand  much 


84 


A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 


used  by  the  Indians.  It  was  not  genuine  coffee,  but 
a  made-up  mixture  artificially  molded  into  coffee- 
berry  shape.  It  has  a  large  sale  in  the  west  amongst 
the  Indians,  cowboys  and  miners. 

Annie  took  us  to  the  old  church,  a  most  interest- 
ing building,  built  the  same  as  the  houses,  but  more 
imposing  in  appearance.  On  the  walls  there  were 
rude  symbols  of  nature-worship  which,  to  us, 


mm  m 


THE  OLD  CHURCH  AT  LAGUNA,  N.  M. 

seemed  strange  in  a  Roman  Catholic  church.  But 
these  matters  were  explained  to  us  as  follows.  When 
the  Spanish  padres  found  that  these  Indians  were 
nature-worshippers  they  explained  to  them  that  the 
Creator  of  Nature  was  God  Almighty,  as  taught  by 
the  Roman  Catholic  church.  They  then  sought  to 
lead  these  savage  minds  to  an  understanding  of  God 
through  the  objects  he  had  made — the  sun,  the  moon, 
the  stars,  the  milky-way,  the  thunder,  the  lightning, 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 


85 


; 


e  rain,  the  cyclone,  the  snow,  etc.  Thus  the  sym- 
1s  of  the  nature  worship  of  the  Indians  were  turned 
into  means  of  educating  them  into  the  white  man's 
conception  of  God,  so  that  they  were  allowed  to  be 
placed  as  decorations  in  the  houses  dedicated  to  His 
worship. 


ON  THE  WAY  TO  ACOMA.     THE  ENCHANTED  MESA  IN  THE 
DISTANCE. 


TO  THE  ENCHANTED  MESA  AND  ACOMA 


AT  LAGTJNA  wagons  and  a  few  saddle-horses  were 
provided  for  us  and  we  turned  our  faces  southward, 
across  the  little  Rio  San  Jose,  over  the  sand-hills  to 
a  region  that  we  were  told  was  one  of  the  most  pic- 
turesque and  fascinating  in  all  America.  We  were 


86  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

going  to  see  Katzimo,  the  Enchanted  Mesa,  and  then 
Acoma,  the  City  of  the  Clouds. 

As  we  journeyed  Dr.  James  discoursed  to  us  as 
follows : 

"Man  has  found  many  wonderful  places  for  the 
sites  of  his  towns  and  cities  but  nowhere  more  won- 
derful, picturesque  and — from  the  modern  stand- 
point— wholly  impossible  than  in  New  Mexico  and 
Arizona.  The  'mesa'  towns  of  the  Hopi — perched 
high  on  almost  inaccessible  cliffs  thrust  out  from  a 
vast  plateau  into  the  heart  of  the  desert,  and  the  can- 
yon deep  home  of  the  Havasusai,  five  thousand  feet 
below  the  surrounding  region,  are  types  of  these 
unique  sites.  Both  types  are  reached  only  by  trails 
that  are  the  dread  and  despair  of  the  *  tenderfoot,' 
the  timid  and  the  lazy,  and  both  were  doubtless 
chosen  because  of  their  very ' impossibility,'  inaccessi- 
bility and  comparative  easiness  of  defense. 

"By  far  the  most  picturesque  of  the  mesa  towns 
is  Acoma,  perched  high  on  a  wonderful  'penyol'- 
an  island  of  rock,  isolated,  however,  with  sand  in- 
stead of  water — in  the  plain  some  twenty  miles  south 
of  Laguna.  When  the  Indians  first  went  there  it  is 
impossible  exactly  to  tell,  but,  whenever  it  was,  it  was 
at  a  time  when  defense  was  needed,  easy,  swift  and 
sure.  So  they  chose  this  site  because  there  was  no 
way  to  reach  it  save  up  a  dizzy  trail  which  climbed 
part  of  the  way  sheer  up  the  face  of  the  cliff,  by 
hand  and  foot  holes,  in  the  heart  of  a  cleft,  cunningly 
hidden  by  nature  and  not  easy  for  the  stranger  to 
find. 

"According  to  tradition,  for  the  Acomas  have  a 


I 

CV 

• 


SOME  STBAN&E  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  87 


wonderful  lore  of  stories  of  old  days, — which,  how- 
ever, must  not  be  confounded  with  their  stories  of 
e  'days  of  old,'  the  latter  dealing  with  the  times 
hen  their  gods  and  mythical  heroes  alone  dwelt  on 
he  earth — they  came  from  the  far-away  north,  and 
their  first  recorded  village  was  Kashka-chuti.  Here 
they  dwelt  for  a  long  time  until  'the  urge'  sent  them 
further  south  to  Washpashuka,  where  they  remained 
until  another  southward  impulse  brought  them  to 
Kuchtya.  The  sites  of  none  of  these  towns  are  known 
even  to  their  oldest  and  wisest  men.  But,  finally, 
they  reached  'the  land  of  the  present';  the  region 
every  foot  of  which  they  know  today  as  no  one  else 
knows  it ;  the  region  of  plain  and  mesa,  of  great,  flat- 
topped,  precipitous-sloped,  talus-surrounded  rocky 
tables  of  massive  grandeur  and  impressive  sublimity 
that  the  transcontinental  traveler  begins  to  notice 
more  particularly  when  he  strikes  the  little  station 
of  Bluewater  on  the  main  line  of  the  Santa  Fe  rail- 
way. They  dot  New  Mexico  all  over,  also  parts  of 
Arizona,  and  nowhere  are  they  more  attractive  and 
triking  than  in  the  region  north  and  south  of  La- 
na. 

"When  the  traveling  ancestors  of  the  Acomas 
eached  this  land  they  reared  the  walls  of  Tsiame,  at 
e  gateway  of  a  half  canyon,  afterwards  named  by 
e  Spaniards,  the  Canyada  de  la  Cruz.  But,  even 
ere  they  did  not  linger  long.  A  more  attractive  site 
as  found  at  Tapitsiania,  a  great  mesa  overlooking 
e  Acoma  valley  from  the  northwest.  Still  another 
hange  was  made,  and  this  was  to  Katzimo — the  ac- 
rsed — the  mighty  rock  from  which  "Those  Above" 


88  A  LITTLE  JOUKNEY  TO 

drove  them  in  most  dramatic  manner.  Or,  at  least, 
they  allowed  them  to  leave  and  then  forbade  their 
return  by  making  reascent  impossible." 

Dr.  James  had  got  this  far  in  his  story  when  we 
begged  him  to  tell  us  all  about  Katzimo.  He  re- 
quested us  to  wait  an  hour  or  so  when  we  should 
arrive  at  the  rock  generally  known  as  Katzimo; 
called  La  Mesa  Encantada  by  the  Spaniards,  or  The 
Enchanted  Mesa  by  the  whites,  and  which  was  made 
the  location  of  a  wordy  fight  between  white  men 
almost  as  fierce  as  that  which  raged  as  to  the  identity 
of  the  author  of  the  Letters  of  Junius. 

"In  the  meantime,"  he  continued,  "the  Acomas 
found  a  new  home,  and  that  is  where  they  are  today, 
where  the  army  of  Don  Francisco  Vasquez  de  Coro- 
nado  found  them  in  1540,  perched  high  on  a  pic- 
turesque mass  of  rock  around  which  you  can  ride  and 
see  no  possible  means  of  ascent,  and  which  has  been 
the  site  of  some  of  the  hardest  fighting — on  a  small 
scale — men  ever  indulged  in." 

AT  THE  ENCHANTED  MESA 

IN  less  than  two  hours  after  leaving  Laguna  we 
were  camped  at  the  foot  of  Katzimo.  All  the  way 
along  we  had  been  in  a  valley  of  cliffs,  pink,  gray, 
creamy,  with  occasionally  a  touch  of  orange,  crimson 
and  olive,  but  here  was  a  detached  mass :  left  solitary, 
alone,  dignified,  in  the  heart  of  the  valley.  It  tow- 
ered majestically  above  the  tiny  pinions  at  its  base, 
though  some  masses  of  rocky  talus  were  piled  up 
quite  high  at  the  foot  of  the  cliffs.  The  walls  are 


SOME  STEANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  89 

seamed  and  scarred  with  many  a  storm.  The  light- 
nings have  cracked  their  fierce  whips  and  the  thun- 
ders have  crashed  and  roared  about  them,  and  rain 
and  snow,  sleet  and  drizzle,  sun  and  frost  have 
gnawed  on  every  hand,  until  towers  and  pinnacles, 
minarets  and  spires  crown  the  rugged  and  scarred 
walls.  To  the  north,  from  which  direction  we  ap- 


KATZIMO  OR  THE  ENCHANTED  MESA,  NEAR  ACOMA,  N.  M. 

proached,  a  piled  up  mass  of  talus,  leading  up  into  a 
deep  amphitheater,  suggested  to  the  boys  that  they 
could  easily  reach  the  top,  and  before  the  horses  were 
unsaddled  they  were  half  way  up,  making  the  at- 
tempt. They  found  another  amphitheater  on  the  west 
side,  but  each  was  deceptive.  The  walls  were  steeper 
and  higher  than  they  seemed.  We  walked  completely 
around  it,  and  in  no  other  place  than  these  two  was 


90  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

there  a  possibility  or  hope  of  scaling  so  sheer  a  mass 
of  rugged  and  precipitous  wall. 


THE  STORY  OF  KATZIMO 

AFTER  lunch  we  sat  in  the  shade  of  a  clump  of  pinions 
or  junipers  while  Dr.  James  told  us  the  following  in- 
teresting story,  which  has  twice  been  written  for 
white  readers,  viz.,  by  Charles  F.  Lummis  in  his 
"New  Mexico  David, "  and  by  Professor  Frederick 
W.  Hodge,  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  American  Eth- 
nology. 

"There  are  slight  variations  of  this  story,  even  as 
told  by  the  Indians,  for  I  have  heard  it  at  least  half 
a  dozen  different  times,  'but  the  main  facts  are  as 
follows:  Katzimo  was  even  more  difficult  of  access 
than  Acoma,  for  there  was  but  one  trail  to  the  sum- 
mit, and  that  for  part  of  the  way  was  up  a  huge 
sliver  of  rock  that  had  been  separated  from  the  main 
wall  by  the  action  of  the  weather  during  the  centu- 
ries. Who  would  dare  attack  so  impregnable  a  fort- 
ress ?  Indians  had  no  guns,  no  cannon,  no  shell,  no 
' bombs  bursting  in  air.'  Their  most  dangerous 
weapons  were  stone  axes,  flint  knives  on  sticks,  bows 
and  arrows  and  lances.  None  of  these  could  be  used 
from  the  foot  of  the  cliff  upon  a  brave  defender  of 
his  home  standing  above,  with  a  pile  of  heavy  rocks  at 
his  side  ready  to  be  flung  down.  Here  one  man  could 
hold  an  army  at  bay. 

"But  there  had  been  no  foes  about  for  some  time, 
so,  on  a  certain  evening  the  public  herald  stood  on  the 
given  housetop  and  announced  in  his  loud,  stentorian 


SOME  STBANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  91 


voice:  *O  people  of  the  white  rock,  Listen,  Listen, 
for  the  words  that  I  speak  are  those  of  command. 
They  come  from  our  father,  the  governor.  It  is  time 
for  the  planting  of  the  crops.  Men,  women  and  chil- 
dren shall  assemble  at  sunrise  and  all  shall  go  to 
the  valley  beneath,  there  to  repair  the  irrigating 
ditches,  pluck  the  weeds,  plant  the  seeds  that  the  corn, 
beans,  cotton,  squash,  onions  and  other  good  things 
may  grow  for  our  next  year's  food.' 

"None  thought  of  disobeying  the  voice.  All  were 
there  in  the  morning,  for  in  a  perfect  republic  as  was 
this  of  Acoma,  all  found  pleasure  in  working  for  the 
good  of  all.  Then,  too,  there  was  to  be  fun  as  well 
as  work.  Races  and  other  athletic  sports  were  to  be 
enjoyed.  The  fields  were  several  miles  away,  near  the 
San  Jose  river.  The  Indians  were  expert  irrigators 
of  the  soil  in  a  simple  and  primitive  fashion,  and  they 
made  a  rude  planting  stick  which  they  forced  into 
the  sand,  and  then  dropped  the  seeds  into  the  hole, 
scraped  in  loose  sand  enough  to  cover  them  up,  then 
turned  on  the  water  long  enough  to  give  seeds  and 
ground  a  good  soaking  and  left  the  warm  sun  to  do 
the  rest.  Here  were  no  laggards,  and  no  one  was  ex- 
empted— there  were  no  privileged  and  no  laboring 
classes, — all  were  privileged  to  labor  and  all  counted 
labor  a  privilege.  Boys  and  girls  worked  with  their 
elders,  carrying  mud  in  blankets  and  baskets  to  help 
repair  ditches,  or  build  up  dams  with  rocks  and 
brush.  Those  who  were  not  big  enough  for  this  work 
watched  their  baby  brothers  and  sisters,  so  that  the 
mammas  could  help. 

"All  were  busily  engaged.    Only  two  or  three  sick 


92  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

old  women  and  a  couple  of  boys  were  left  behind  on 
Katzimo,  so  full  attention  was  given  to  the  work  in 
hand.  Suddenly  the  heavens  were  darkened  with 
clouds  that  came  rolling  up  from  the  storm  quarter. 
A  heavy  thunder  storm  was  coming  such  as  some- 
times even  to  this  day  deluges  the  country  with  sud- 
den floods.  The  growling  of  distant  thunder  was 
heard ;  then  the  flashes  of  lightning  were  seen ;  they 
came  nearer,  and  at  last  it  began  to  rain.  First  the 
drops  came  in  large  splotches.  It  was  a  quick 
shower  and  soon  over.  Then  the  sun  came  out.  But 
it  was  only  for  a  few  minutes.  Another  volley  of 
thunder  and  a  glare  of  vivid  lightning  and  down  came 
the  rain  in  torrents.  The  busy  workers  fled  before  its 
fury.  They  hid  under  the  shelters  of  brush  they  had 
constructed,  and  some  fled  to  the  cliffs,  where  under 
overhanging  rocks  they  found  protection  from  the 
storm.  In  the  distance  Katzimo  was  wreathed  in 
clouds,  and  now  and  again  the  lightning  seemed  to 
crown  it  with  a  halo  of  light.  What  a  storm  it  was ! 
How  the  rain  poured  down.  Faster  and  faster  it 
came  until  the  storm  became  a  flood.  The  Acomas, 
now  thoroughly  scared,  fled  to  the  top  of  the  cliffs 
for  refuge  against  the  waters  of  the  Rio  San  Jose, 
which  by  now  had  become  a  raging,  roaring,  turbu- 
lent river,  such  as  few  of  them  had  ever  seen  in  this 
generally  quiet  little  valley.  Then  the  flood  became  a 
deluge,  and  some  of  them  thought  the  end  of  things 
had  come. 

"But  even  the  worst  of  storms  beat  out  their  rage 
and  fury  in  time  and  quiet  down  in  spite  of  them- 
selves. More  suddenly  than  the  heavens  were  dark- 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  93 

ened  were  the  clouds  dispersed,  and  the  Father  Sun 
again  resumed  his  imperious  sway.  Farming  was 
impossible  for  awhile,  at  least,  and  so  all  hands  re- 
turned to  Katzimo.  There  it  stood  as  majestic,  as 
grand,  as  smiling  as  ever — for  smiling  it  always 
seemd  to  be  to  the  Acomas  since  they  had  established 
their  home  on  its  summit.  Eager  to  return  home 
they  plodded  through  the  streams  and  wet-soaked 
sands  until  they  stood  under  the  shadow  of  Katzimo. 
But  here  their  footsteps  were  arrested.  Whence 
came  all  this  pile  of  rocks  that  barred  their  path- 
way ?  Looking  up  they  saw,  to  their  horror,  that  the 
great  rock  sliver,  up  which  their  trail  to  the  summit 
of  Katzimo  had  been  pecked  out,  had  fallen,  and  there 
was  neither  ascent  nor  descent  possible. 

"Now  they  understood  to  the  full  the  wailing 
voices  that  they  had  heard  from  above.  The  sick 
ones  there  had  learned  of  the  disaster  and  were  cry- 
ing to  be  released;  to  be  saved  from  the  awful  fate 
of  desertion  and  starvation.  But  the  Indian  mind 
works  peculiarly.  The  oriental  mind  calls  the  inevit- 
able "kismet."  There  is  not  much  difference  be- 
tween oriental  aborigine  and  occidental  aborigine. 
'It  is  never  safe  to  interfere  with  the  will  of  Those 
Above.'  Was  not  their  will  clearly  expressed?  The 
means  of  access  was  gone.  Access  was  denied. 

"Sorrowfully,  but  none  the  less  determinedly  the 
Acomas  sought  a  new  dwelling  place  and  found  it  on 
the  penyol  to  which  we  are  now  going,  and  only  with 
bated  breath  ever  refer  to  those  who  were  'lost  and 
forgotten,'  on  the  summit  of  'Katzimo,  the  accursed.' 
Naturally  all  who  read  this  legend  were  very 


. . 


94 


A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 


much  interested,  and  among  others  was  Professor 
William  Libbey,  of  Princeton  University.    He  deter- 


PROFESSOR    HODGE    AND    PARTY    MAKING    THE    ASCENT    OF    THE 
MESA  ENCANTADA,   N.   M. 


mined,  if  possible,  to  scale  the  cliff,  and  as  the  story 
he  had  read  spoke  of  absolutely  inaccessible  walls,  he 
wasted  no  time  in  small  endeavor,  but  secured  a  com- 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES  95 

lete  sea  life-saving  apparatus,  with  cannon  for  firing 
a  rocket,  to  which  a  line  could  be  attached,  clear  over 
the  mesa. 

"In  July,  1897,  he  succeeded  in  reaching  the 
summit  in  a  boatswain's  chair,  hauled  up  on  a 
life-line,  and  after  spending  three  hours  on  the  sum- 
mit failed  to  find  anything  'that  indicated  even  a 
former  visit  by  human  beings. ' 

"When  the  reports  of  his  expedition  were  read 
by  Mr.  Lummis,  they  caused  great  excitement  and 
indignation  and  a  controversy  was  started  that  was 
neither  dignified,  scientific  nor  gentlemanly.  But  in 
September  of  the  same  year  Professor  Hodge  decided 
to  make  the  ascent,  accompanied  by  Major  George  H. 
Pradt,  for  thirty  years  a  civil  engineer  in  New  Mex- 
ico, Mr.  A.  C.  Vroman,  of  Pasadena,  Calif.,  and  Mr. 
H.  C.  Hoyt,  of  Chicago,  and  accomplished  the  feat 
with  no  other  assistance  than  a  few  lengths  of  ladder 
and  some  coils  of  stout  rope. 

"This  party  found,  as  had  Mr.  Hodge  in  1895,  in 
the  great  western  cove  of  the  cliff,  the  remnants  of  an 
old  and  deeply  worn  trail,  and  also  several  pieces  of 
pottery,  two  pieces  of  stone  axes,  and  a  portion  of  a 
shell  bracelet.  A  small  cairn,  evidently  piled  up  with 
human  hands  as  a  monument  was  also  found.  These 
were  all  clear  evidences  of  human  presence  and  Pro- 
fessor Hodge,  then  descending  and  again  carefully 
examining  the  mass  of  talus  at  the  foot  of  the  cliffs 
—which  in  one  place  is  piled  up  224  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  plain — and  finding  therein  much  broken 
pottery,  etc.,  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  tradition 
was  clearly  vindicated.  And  as  such  it  is  generally 


96 


A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 


regarded  by  most  of  the  scientific  students  of  the 
country  today.'' 

Dr.  James,  however,  says  he  should  be  willing  to 
accept  this  decision  were  it  not  for  several  things 
that  the  Acomas  have  told  him.  These  are  to  the 
effect  that  the  elders  have  purposely  misled  strangers 
as  to  the  location  of  Katzimo ;  that  while  the  tradition 


ROCKY  WALLS  NEAR  THE  ACOMA  TRAIL,  N.  M. 

as  told  is  correct,  in  the  main,  they  have  not  desired 
that  white  men  should  find  the  spot,  and  that  it  is 
elsewhere,  and  that,  some  day,  they  will  take  him  and 
showr  him  the  "real"  Katzimo  upon  which  there  are 
still  plenty  of  ruins  to  clearly  demonstrate  that  a 
large  village  once  occupied  its  commanding  site.  In 
talking  about  this  matter  Dr.  James  said  it  was  per- 


fecth 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AXD  PEOPLES 


97 


?ectly  possible  that  his  informants  might  have  been 
in  error,  but  that  until  we  have  studied  the  country 
far  more  than  we  have  he  does  not  see  that  it  is  neces- 
sary to  settle  the  question  in  favor  of  one  site  or 
another. 

THE  ASCENT  OF  THE  ACOMA  TRAIL 

IT  WAS  late  in  the  afternoon  when  we  reached  the  foot 
of  the  mesa  at  Acoma.    While  when  the  white  men 


A  STREET  IN  THE  PUEBLO  OF  ACOMA,  N.   M. 

first  saw  it  there  was  only  one  trail  to  the  summit, 
Dr.  James  said  there  were  now  four — all  of  which 
we  afterwards  went  up  and  down.  This  time  we  were 
to  go  up  not  the  steepest  and  most  dangerous,  but 
one  that  made  us  all  wonder  what  we  should  possibly 
do  when  we  came  to  the  one  that  was  really  danger- 


98 


A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 


ous.  But  long  before  our  horses  had  come  to  a  stand- 
still half  a  dozen  young  men,  one  old  one,  and  several 
children  were  hailing  our  guide  as  an  old  friend.  He 
jumped  from  his  horse  and  greeted  them  with  evident 
delight,  and  then  arms  around  shoulders  they  walked 
along,  chatting  and  laughing  with  evident  merriment. 


THE    OLD    CHURCH    AT    ACOMA,    N.    M.      THE    TOWERS    HAVE    BEEN 
RECENTLY   RESTORED 


At  the  foot  of  the  trail  our  horses  were  unhar- 
nessed and  unsaddled,  and  taken  away  by  some  of  the 
Acomas.  It  was  strange  that  none  of  us  had  the 
slightest  fear.  We  seemed  to  be  with  old  friends,  in- 
stead of  with  the  wild  Indians  we  had  read  about, 
and  the  story  of  whose  determined  resistance  of  the 
white  men  Dr.  James  had  already  outlined  to  us. 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AXD  PEOPLES  99 

Now  all  our  valises,  bags,  provisions,  bedding, 
eras  and  everything  were  piled  up.  Those  pieces 
hich  were  easily  carriable  by  hand  were  put  aside, 
d  all  the  rest  dumped  into  several  stout  blankets, 
;he  corners  of  which  were  tied  together,  and  speedily 
hoisted  upon  the  sturdy  backs  of  our  new  Indian 
friends.  They  went  ahead  of  us  and  we  soon  saw 
them  scaling  an  absolutely  precipitous  cliff — in  the 
heart  of  a  cleft — like  flies  on  a  wall.  It  made  our 
hearts  stand  still.  Did  we  have  to  follow? 

We  soon  found  we  did.    But  it  was  so  planned 
that  there  was  some  friendly  hand  to  help  each  of 
us  at  the  critical  places.    First  of  all  the  trail  was 
a  series  of  steps  of  rock  and  tree  trunks  until  we  were 
well  up  in  the  heart  of  the  cleft,  then  our  fingers  were 
guided  into  little  hand  holes  and  our  feet  put  into 
foot-holes  and  for  about  ten  feet  we  had  to  climb  up 
a  sheer  wall.    But  we  were  helped  so  handily  and  so 
surely  that  we  all  reached  the  top  with  no  more  than 
a  few  extra  heart  beats  and  a  sharp  sigh  or  two. 
Then  we  entered  a  rocky  tunnel  and  on  emerging  on 
he  other  side  we  were  actually  on  the  top  of  the  mesa 
n  which  stands  Acoma.    Yes !  there  was  the  rear  of 
he  old  church;  there  was  the  priest's  house;  there 
e  governor's;  there  the  grave-yard,  and  here  the 
ouse  where  we  were  to  make  our  home  so  long  as  we 
tayed.    Our  host  was  Lorenzo,  the  governor,  and  his 
wife  was  a  fine-looking,  stout,  motherly  woman  with 
a  bronzed  face,  but  kindly  looking  and  with  eyes 
that  smiled  a  loving  welcome  to  us  and  made  us  feel 
at  home  at  once.     And  their  daughter,  Lolita,  all 
fell  in  love  with  at  sight — girls  and  boys  alike— 


100 


A  LITTLE  JOUKNEY  TO 


and  I  believe  Professor  and  Mrs.  Young  and  Dr. 
James  were  smitten  as  badly  as  we  were.  Indeed,  the 
latter  afterwards  confessed  that  Lolita  had  won  his 
heart  years  ago,  when  he  first  came  to  Acoma  and 
stopped  at  her  father's  house.  She  was  a  little  tot 
then,  but,  said  he,  she  becomes  more  winning  as  she 
grows  older. 


THE  GOVERNOR  AND  HIS  STAFF  AT  ACOMA,  N.  M.  (ON  THE  STEPS 
OF  THE  OLD  CHURCH) 


THE  PUEBLO  OF  ACOMA 

WE  COULD  not  wait  for  supper  before  we  had  made  a 
hasty  survey  of  the  village,  and  we  saw  so  much  and 
heard  so  much  that  it  was  as  hard  work  to  sleep  up 
here  as  it  had  been  the  night  before  at  the  foot  of 
Katzimo. 

The  next  day  we  learned  the  history  of  Acoma  as 


I  SOME  STRAXGE  PLACES  AM>  PECPLJ-s          101 

ir  as  it  is  known  since  its  people  were  discovered  by 
oronado  in  1540.  We  were  reminded  of  that  un- 
fortunate expedition  of  Panfilo  de  Narvaez  to  Flor- 
ida which  resulted  in  the  wreck  and  loss  of  every 
vessel  and  of  the  death  of  every  man  save  five  who, 
ed  by  Cabeza  de  Vaca,  after  numerous  wild  and 
strange  adventures,  traversed  the  whole  continent 
and  reached  the  Spanish  settlements  in  Northern 
Mexico  eight  years  after  they  were  supposed  to  have 
been  dead.  In  his  wanderings  Cabeza  had  heard  of 
seven  strange  and  wonderful  cities  where,  he  was  in- 
formed, vast  wealth  was  to  be  obtained.  The  viceroy, 
Mendoza,  sent  out  a  keen  and  wise  observer,  Marcos 
de  Niza,  to  make  a  general  reconnaisance  of  the  coun- 
try, before  he  allowed  a  large  and  elaborate  expedi- 
tion to  enter  for  the  purpose  of  its  subjugation  to  the 
crown  of  Spain.  We  shall  later  see  the  very  hill — 
near  Zuni — to  which  the  indefatigable  Marcos  came, 
and  "viewred  the  landscape  o'er,"  not  daring  to  enter 
the  village  itself,  lest  like  his  advance  messenger,  the 
negro  Stephen,  he  be  slain.  So  he  secretly  surveyed 
Zuni  and  then  returned  with  a  glowing  and  enthusi- 
astic account  of  the  wonders  of  the  country  he  had 
passed  through  and  the  remarkable  Indian  cities  he 
had  seen.  Then  the  expedition  was  allowed  to  pro- 
ceed, and  what  a  gallant  band,  and  extra  gallant  lead- 
ers it  had,  and  its  commander  and  chief  was  most 
gallant  of  all.  Don  Francisco  Vasquez  de  Coronado 
was  a  cousin,  by  marriage,  of  the  proud  Emperor  of 
Spain,  Charles  V,  and  his  mother-in-law  had  given 
im  a  wedding  gift  that  made  Cortez  complain — its 
come  was  so  great.  Hence  there  was  nothing  nig- 


102  A  LITTLE  JOUENEY  TO 

gardly  in  the  equipment  of  the  expedition.  There 
were  three  hundred  Spaniards  and  eight  hundred 
natives  of  New  Spain  gathered  together — 1,100  in 
all.  Castaneda,  the  historian  of  the  expedition,  says 
that  "such  a  noble  body  was  never  collected  in  the 
Indies." 

They  had  adventures  enough  before  they  reached 
Zuni,  and  here  Coronado  was  wounded,  so  he  sent 
Hernando  de  Alvarado  with  twenty  men  to  investi- 
gate the  rumors  that  were  rife  about  remarkable 
cities  to  be  found  Eastward.  In  five  days  after 
leaving  Zuni,  Alvarado  gazed  on  Acoma — the  first 
white  man  ever  dazzled  by  its  peerless  situation. 
Never  since  has  an  intelligent  being  stood  at  the  base 
of  those  cliffs  without  experiencing  deep  and  uncon- 
trollable emotions.  Castaneda,  in  a  few  words  stated 
that  Acoma  is  situated  upon  "a  perpendicular  rock," 
and  that  the  only  way  to  reach  the  summit  was  by 
means  of  a  stairway  of  three  hundred  steps,  hewn  out 
of  the  solid  rock. 

We  climbed  down  that  stairway — and  we  were 
told  it  was  a  great  honor  to  be  allowed  even  to  know 
of  its  location,  and  then,  though  the  weather  was 
warm,  we  walked  completely  around  the  great  mesa. 
We  enjoyed  as  much  as  our  limited  time  would  admit 
the  rocky  sculpturings  and  the  striking  mural  faces 
it  presents.  All  around,  it  is  inaccessible,  impreg- 
nable, except  where  the  four  trails  constructed  by  the 
Queres  have  made  its  ascent  possible.  Towers,  but- 
tresses, battlements,  bridges  innumerable  stand  in 
conscious  majesty  as  Nature's  guards  to  the  home  of 
this  quiet  and  peaceful  people. 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          103 


ind  yet  not  in  Coronado's  day,  but  later,  it  saw 
iy  and  dreadful  scenes  of  bloodshed.  For,  fifty- 
eight  years  after  Alvarado's  advent,  and  long  after 
Coronado  and  his  expedition  had  returned,  disheart- 
ened and  discredited,  to  Old  Mexico,  Juan  de  Onate, 
the  real  conqueror  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  came 
to  receive  anew  the  submission  of  the  people  of  this 
"City  of  the  Cliffs."  Treachery  was  in  the  hearts 
of  the  principales  when  they  solemnly  pledged  them- 
selves to  be  true  and  submissive  vassals  to  the  crown 
of  Spain.  They  were  diplomats  of  an  early  American 
era.  To  them,  the  end  justified  the  means,  and  lies 
and  treachery  were  legitimate  weapons  in  dealing 
with  hostile  forces  of  such  overwhelming  power. 

Having  subscribed  to  the  oath,  the  Acomas  in- 
vited Juan  de  Onate  to  climb  the  steep  and  perilous 
trails  and  visit  the  city  whose  submission  he  had  re- 
ceived. After  gazing  upon  its  scenes  of  interest,  he 
was  taken  to  the  head  of  a  ladder,  which  led  into 
the  depths  of  one  of  the  underground  ceremonial 
chambers,  termed  kivas  by  the  Indians,  but  named 
tufas,  or  stoves,  by  the  Spaniards,  on  account  of 
eir  stifling  heat.  Would  he  go  below  and  see  the 
eremonial  chamber?  Just  as  he  was  about  to  de- 
end,  the  darkness  below  sent  a  shaft  of  suspicion 
into  his  fearless  heart,  and  he  refused  to  go.  Well 
or  him  it  was  that  he  let  prudence  control  his  acts  at 
hat  time ;  for,  in  the  darkness  of  the  kiva  a  score  or 
ore  of  armed  warriors  were  stealthily  in  waiting, 
atching  for  his  steps  upon  the  ladder,  and,  ere  he 
ached  the  bottom,  a  score  of  willing  hands  would 
ave  been  dyed  in  his  life  blood,  while  armed  men 


104  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

above  would  ruthlessly  have  murdered  his  little  band 
of  followers. 

A  few  weeks  later  Onate's  maestro  de  campo, 
Juan  de  Zaldivar,  who  had  been  exploring  eastward, 
came  to  Acoma  with  thirty  men,  and,  lured  by  the 
peaceful  protestations  of  the  Acomas,  left  fourteen 
of  them  below  to  guard  the  horses,  and  then,  with 
sixteen  men,  climbed  the  trail.  With  quiet  stealth 
and  under  most  friendly  guise,  Zaldivar  and  his  men 
were  scattered,  when  suddenly,  like  the  whirling  cy- 
clone from  the  heavens  above,  all  the  warriors  of  the 
town  fell  upon  the  hapless  Spaniards  with  flint 
knives,  stone  battle  axes,  heavy  hammers,  bows  and 
arrows,  and  war  clubs.  Surprised,  apart,  unready, 
these  adventurous  warriors,  who  had  braved  the  sav- 
ages of  thousands  of  miles  of  desert  marches,  one  by 
one  were  slain.  Here  would  be  seen  a  desperate  but 
hopeless  conflict ;  a  mailed  warrior,  back  to  wall,  blood 
streaming  through  his  broken  helmet,  surrounded  by 
yelling,  screeching,  howling,  naked  savages,  all  at- 
tacking at  once  and  with  a  ferocity  altogether  irre- 
sistible. Juan  was  slain,  others  of  his  officers  and 
men,  one  by  one,  licked  the  barren  rock  in  the  agonies 
of  death,  and,  at  last,  five  soldiers  only  remained. 
Fortunately,  they  were  able  to  get  together,  and  thus, 
side  by  side,  encouraging  each  other,  they  fought, 
striking  and  thrusting  at  every  good  opportunity  into 
the  dusky  mass  of  surging  savagery  which  deter- 
minedly forced  itself  upon  them.  Back,  foot  by  foot, 
they  were  driven.  Step  by  step  they  came  nearer  to 
the  edge  of  those  frightful  cliffs.  Yet  death  at  the 
foot  of  a  yawning  precipice  was  preferable  to  cap- 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES         105 

tivity,  torture,  and  horrible  death  at  the  hands  of  ruth- 
less savages ;  so,  cheering  each  other  with  brave  words, 
these  daring  and  desperate  men  flung  themselves 
over  the  brink  and  commended  their  bodies  and  souls 
to  Santiago,  the  patron  saint  of  Spain.  Courage  and 
bravery  wrere  rewarded  in  all  but  one,  who,  falling 
on  the  solid  rocks,  was  dashed  to  pieces.  The  other 
four,  fortunately,  breaking  their  fall  on  the  soft, 
ever-changing  sand  heaps,  escaped  with  their  lives, 
and  wrere  soon  in  the  helpful  and  soothing  care  of 
their  comrades.  The  fear  of  their  horses  kept  the 
camp  below  from  the  attacks  they  dreaded,  and,  just 
as  soon  as  the  wounded  soldiers  were  able  to  travel, 
the  little,  sad-hearted  band  hastily  set  forth,  some 
for  the  main  army  of  Juan  de  Onate,  at  San  Gabriel 
de  los  Caballeros,  the  second  city  founded  on  United 
States  territory,  and  others  to  give  warning  to  the 
scattered  Spaniards  at  Zuni,  Hopi  and  elsewhere  to 
gather  together  at  San  Gabriel  for  mutual  protection. 
When  Onate  heard  the  news,  a  determination  for 
vengeance  fired  his  soul.  With  seventy  men  he  sent 
Zaldivar's  brother,  Vicente,  to  make  his  vengeful 
anger  felt  upon  the  Acomas.  The  storming  of  that 
hitherto  impregnable  citadel  is  a  story  that  stirs  the 
blood.  For  three  days  and  nights  the  battle  raged. 
Deeds  of  daring  and  heroism  were  performed  that  well 
deserve  to  become  famed.  Step  by  step  the  ascent 
was  made ;  blood  was  shed  like  water,  scores  of  In- 
dians lost  their  lives,  and  still  the  fight  continued. 
But  determined  to  avenge  their  comrades'  treacher- 
ous murder,  the  soldiers  of  Vicente  fought  with  a 
quiet,  desperate  valor  that  could  know  no  defeat. 


106  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

There  was  but  one  alternative  to  victory,  and  that 
was  death. 

At  last  the  rock  itself  was  gained ;  then  the  town 
must  be  stormed.  The  one  howitzer  they  had  brought 
was  put  into  use  and  the  adobe  walls  blown  down; 
fire  aided  the  attacking  forces,  and  at  last  the  chief 
warriors  sued  for  peace  and  offered  to  surrender. 
Dearly  was  Juan  de  Zaldivar  slain,  for  it  cost  the 
Acomas  the  greater  portion  of  their  fighting  men. 

For  many  years  after  this  the  Acomas  were  peace- 
ful until  the  rebellion  of  Pope,  which  took  in  all  New 
Mexico  in  1680,  when  the  Spaniards  were  entirely 
driven  out  of  New  Mexico  and  kept  at  bay  for  nearly 
eighteen  years.  This  is  such  an  interesting  story  that 
a  whole  chapter  is  devoted  elsewhere  to  it.  Then 
Diego  de  Vargas,  the  daring  Spanish  cavalier,  came 
as  the  reconqueror,  and  more  scenes  of  battle  and 
bloodshed  were  witnessed,  until  the  Indians  were  fin- 
ally subjugated. 

And  here  we  were,  perched  high  on  this  isolated 
rock,  a  tiny  handful  of  white  people,  practically  with- 
out weapons,  among  the  descendants  of  these  deter- 
mined warriors,  and  yet  not  one  of  us  had  a  fear. 
Time  had  kindly  changed  the  hearts  of  the  Acomas 
towards  the  whites,  and  they  met  us  and  entertained 
us  with  a  hospitality  as  genuine  and  complete  as  their 
hostility  in  former  days  had  been  determined  and 
persistent. 

In  the  morning  we  began  our  explorations.  The 
superficial  area  of  this  rocky  table  of  Acoma  is 
seventy  acres,  and  it  is  perched  nearly  360  feet  high 
above  the  plain.  But  how  inadequate  words  are  to 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AXD  PEOPLES    107 


J-IC 

ca 


picture  the  rugged  grandeurs  and  wierd  attractive- 
ness of  the  rock  and  its  surroundings.  The  walls  are 
rved  into  a  thousand  and  one  forms ;  strange,  fan- 
tastic, top-heavy  statues  of  rude  and  grotesque  out- 
line, suggesting  monstrous  griffons  and  dragons  after 
the  hideous  gargoyles  of  European  cathedrals;  nar- 
row clefts,  ravines,  chasms,  in  which  are  hidden 
standing  rocks,  balanced  rocks,  pillar  rocks,  and  some 
of  which  are  spanned  by  natural  bridges  of  massive 
outline,  that  dwarf  into  insignificance  the  most  pon- 
derous of  man's  efforts  in  this  line.  It  is  a  veritable 
turn-pin  nu-wear,  too-weep,  "land  of  the  standing 
rocks,"  and  there  are  scores  of  massive  mural  faces, 
the  tops  of  which  are  nature-shaped  into  towers,  pin- 
nacles, columns,  domes,  minarets  and  rude  spires. 
We  saw  sheep  corrals  made  by  fencing  in  the  entrance 
of  a  cul-de-sac,  whose  walls  towered  hundreds  of  feet 
into  the  blue  sky.  Nearby  was  another  made  by  sur- 
rounding a  standing  rock-pillar  with  a  fence,  which, 
just  at  sunset,  cast  a  shadow  upon  the  sand  strangely 
and  startlingly  like  a  sleeping  giant  of  unearthly  pro- 
portion. 

We  went  all  around  and  over  the  wonderful  old 
church — how  wonderful  who  can  describe — that  Mr. 
Lummis  says  "covers  more  ground  than  any  modern 
cathedral  in  the  United  States."  It  is  a  great  adobe 
building,  with  two  towers  in  which  hang  bells  brought 
from  far-away  Peru.  The  walls  are  sixty  feet  high 
and  ten  feet  through,  and  in  the  roof  are  solid  tim- 
bers fourteen  inches  square  and  forty  feet  long  which 
span  the  building  from  wall  to  wall.  These  were 
chopped  down  in  the  mountain  forest  twenty  miles 


108  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

away,  and  after  being  hewed  into  their  present  shape, 
were  dragged  by  sheer  man-muscle  to  Acoma  and 
hauled  up  the  cliff  to  their  present  position.  The 
grave  yard  is  pathetic  beyond  measure,  not  only  in 
the  feature  it  holds  in  common  with  all  burial  places 
of  the  loved  dead,  but  because  of  its  remarkable 
building.  It  is  a  graveyard  that  was  actually  built 
by  the  patient  labor  of  many,  many  women,  working 
as  the  slave  Hebrews  did  under  the  lash  of  the 
Egyptians.  It  is  two  hundred  feet  square,  and  on 
two  of  its  sides  had  to  be  " walled  up"  from  the 
eroded  rock,  in  some  places  for  forty  feet.  Thus  a 
huge  stone  box  was  made  in  which  the  earth  was  to 
be  placed,  and  every  pound  of  this  earth  was  either 
scraped  up  from  some  other  part  of  the  mesa  top  and 
carried  here  in  blankets  on  the  backs  of  the  patient 
women,  or,  harder  still,  was  gathered  from  the  plain 
beneath  and  with  toilsome  labor  carried  up  the  dizzy 
trail  and  then  deposited.  We  do  not  wonder  that  it 
took  forty  years  to  fill  up  this  great  hole. 

Before  we  reached  the  church,  however,  Dr.  James 
had  had  an  interesting  experience  with  the  Governor 
and  the  principales.  For  some  time  he  had  wanted 
to  secure  a  photograph  of  them,  which  they  had  been 
unwilling  to  allow.  He  knew  that  on  this  particular 
morning  they  were  all  coming  to  early  morning  mass, 
and  that  led  him  to  think  of  a  plan  that  would  secure 
what  he  wanted.  Said  he:  "I  was  out  bright  and 
early,  my  scheme  all  ready  for  action.  After  making 
a  picture  of  the  church,  I  planted  the  camera  directly 
opposite  the  steps,  focusing  on  them,  setting  the  shut- 
ter, drawing  the  slide  from  before  the  plate,  and  see- 


I 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          109 


ing  that  all  was  ready  for  the  mere  pressing  of  the 
bulb.  I  had  prepared  myself  with  plenty  of  tobacco, 
cigarette  papers,  candy  and  my  pocket  microscope. 
Then  I  waited. 

"Soon  my  patience  was  rewarded.  The  governor 
and  several  of  his  devout  staff  appeared,  ready  for 
the  mass,  which  custom  required  them  to  attend.  The 
priest,  however,  was  a  little  late  in  arriving,  so,  with 
tobacco  as  a  lure,  they  were  easily  persuaded  to  take 
seats  with  me  on  the  steps.  They  eyed  the  camera 
rather  suspiciously,  but,  as  I  paid  no  attention  to  it, 
and  handed  out  two  or  three  sacks  of  tobacco  and 
bade  them  smoke,  and  then  began  to  chat,  their  sus- 
picions were  soon  appeased. 

"Then,  taking  out  my  microscope,  I  lighted  the 
governor's  cigarette  with  it.  This  was  wonderful. 
Then  I  held  his  hand  and  let  the  *  burning  glass'  get 
in  its  work.  This  amused  him,  and,  putting  his  fin- 
gers to  his  lips,  for  silence,  he  suggested  I  burn  Luis 
and  then  all  the  rest.  When  this  was  done,  they  were 
pretty  well  contented,  and  while  they  were  still  in  the 
enjoyment  of  the  fun  I  carelessly  sauntered  to  the 
camera,  and,  without  looking  towards  them,  pressed 
the  bulb  and  made  their  picture.  Though  I  did  not 
look,  I  felt  and  heard  their  motions  of  surprise  and 
astonishment  at  hearing  the  camera  *  click,'  and  re- 
membering the  old  saying  that  one  might  'as  well  be 
hanged  for  a  sheep  as  a  lamb, '  I  determined  to  go  in 
for  a  whole  flock.  So,  hastily  putting  in  the  slide, 
reversing  the  plate,  and  setting  the  shutter,  I  made 
another  exposure — all  within  a  few  seconds — and  a 
second  picture  was  the  result." 


110  A  LITTLE  JOUKNEY  TO 

THE  COMING  OF  ST.  JAMES  TO  SPAIN 

WITH  all  his  sturdiness  of  character,  stolidity  of 
demeanor  and  evident  seriousness,  the  Indian  is 
strangely  childlike  in  many  ways.  In  nothing  is  this 
more  manifest  than  in  his  love  for  dramatic  shows. 
Every  clan  has  its  own  religious  ceremonies  most  of 
which  are  conducted  in  secrecy  in  the  underground 
kivas.  Comparatively  few  of  these  ceremonies  have 
ever  been  seen  by  white  men,  and  very  few  have  been 
described.  Many  of  theni  are  old  and  have  been 
handed  down  from  such  a  far-away  time  that  the 
meaning  of  some  of  the  words  used  in  them  have  been 
completely  forgotten. 

The  Spaniards  found  many  such  ceremonies  in 
existence  when  they  first  subjugated  these  people. 
With  a  wisdom  as  shrewd  as  it  was  kindly,  they  took 
them  and  lopped  off  a  little  here,  a  little  there,  and 
added  thereto  a  few  new  features,  thus  giving  them 
a  Christian  appearance.  They  then  named  them  as 
fiestas  after  the  saints,  so  that  they  became  peculiar 
mixtures  of  the  old  and  the  new,  offended  nobody  and 
practically  pleased  all  concerned. 

One  of  these  changed-over  ceremonies  we  were  to 
witness  that  morning.  It  was  to  be  a  dramatic  repre- 
sentation of  the  coming  of  Santiago — St.  James — the 
national  saint  of  the  Spaniards,  to  Spain. 

Long  before  we  had  breakfast  we  could  feel  that 
something  exciting  was  in  the  air.  The  men  were 
decked  in  their  finest  costumes,  and  the  women  were 
still  arraying  themselves  in  their  most  gaudy  apparel. 
Bands  of  horses  had  been  clattering  up  and  down 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          111 


the  naturally  stone-paved  streets  for  hours  and  the 
noise  had  awakened  us  in  the  early  morning.    Soon 
after  breakfast  we  were  all  drawn,  as  by  a  magnet,  to 
one  spot  on  the  mesa  top.    It  was  near  the  head  of  the 
trail  which  had  been  built  up  by  the  drifting  sands 
on  the  northeast  face  of  the  cliff.     Every  eye  that 
knew  what  to  expect  was  gazing  off  in  the  far-away 
distance  where  pinions  and  junipers  hid  the  sandy 
soil.     Soon  two  young  men  on  fiery  broncos  came 
dashing  up  as  if  they  were  messengers  of  importance. 
Riding  as  far  as  it  was  possible  up  the  steep  trail, 
and  greeted  on  every  hand  by  buzzing  tongues,  they 
came  to  the  governor  and  principales  who  awaited 
them  in  a  dignified  group  near  the  head  of  the  trail. 
There  they  announced  the  fact  that  Saint  James  was 
on  his  way  to  Acoma  and  would  soon  arrive.    Though 
no  public  announcement  of  what  the  messengers  had 
said  was  made,  everybody  seemed  to  understand  and 
every  gaze  became  more  fixed  and  insistent  than  be- 
fore.    Soon  the  quaintest  and  queerest  little  figure 
that  was  ever  seen  appeared  among  the  trees  on  the 
plain  surrounded  by  a  hundred  horsemen,  not  riding 
sedately  and  soberly,  but  all  in  a  hurry  of  bustle  and 
excitement.    Single  horsemen  and  groups  darted  off, 
like  the  wind,  in  every  direction  on  apparently  aim- 
less errands  and  came  back  with  equally  aimless 
speed.    They  were  messengers  sent  out  by  the  saint 
to  inform  the  people  along  the  way  of  his  arrival. 
For  that  comical  little  figure,  which  at  first  we  could 
make  nothing  of,  at  last  came  near  enough  for  us 
clearly  to  see  what  it  was.    It  was  a  man  riding  some 
kind  of  a  figure  draped  in  white  with  a  small  horse's- 


112  A.  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

head,  neck,  mane,  back  and  tail  attached  to  him, 
which  he  made  to  prance  and  cavort  around  in  a 
series  of  fantastic  movements  that  were  as  interest- 
ing as  the  movements  of  the  great  Chinese  dragon  of 
San  Francisco.  This  was  Santiago  himself. 

When  the  foot  of  the  sand  trail  was  reached,  the 
couriers  of  Saint  James  dismounted  from  their 
horses,  which  they  left  there  in  charge  of  one  of  their 
number,  and  then,  solemnly  and  with  reverence,  they 
formed  as  a  body-guard  around  the  peculiar  figure 
which  continued  his  prancings  and  curvetings  and 
accompanied  him  up  the  trail  to  the  mesa  top.  Here 
he  was  received  with  the  greatest  respect  and  marks 
of  veneration  by  the  governor  and  the  other  town 
officials,  and  with  deep  and  earnest,  but  nevertheless 
hearty  cordiality,  by  the  people.  After  a  few  min- 
utes spent  in  exchange  of  salutations,  the  whole  party 
wended  its  way  towards  the  church.  Here  mass  was 
performed  b}^  Father  Juillard,  in  which  he  was  as- 
sisted by  Lorenzo,  our  host,  and  two  Indian  boys  as 
acolytes,  after  which  a  short  sermon  was  delivered 
telling  the  story  of  Saint  James'  coming  to  Spain, 
and  at  the  same  time  giving  the  history  of  San  Este- 
ban  (Saint  Stephen)  who  is  now  the  patron  saint  of 
the  Acomas. 

We  of  the  white  race,  who  call  ourselves  "civi- 
lized," were  more  than  pleased, — we  were  both  sur- 
prised and  amazed  at  the  decorous  silence  and  rever- 
ence manifested  by  all  the  worshippers.  There  was 
not  one  whisper  during  the  whole  ceremony,  and  no 
wandering  eye  gaping  about  revealing  lack  of  inter- 
est in  what  was  going  on.  During  the  service  I  caught 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          113 


glimpse  of  a  group  of  young  men  standing  near  the 
door,  their  wrapt  expression  of  profound  interest  re- 
vealing how  deeply  they  were  impressed  by  that 

hich  their  eloquent  priest  was  telling  them. 

THE  FIESTA  OF  SAN  ESTEBAN 

• 

As  SOON  as  the  service  was  over,  a  procession  was 
formed,  different  from  any  procession  I  ever  saw 
before,  and  yet  in  some  features  it  was  similar  to 
ordinary  Catholic  processions.  First  of  all  came  the 
peculiar  little  figure  of  Saint  James  riding  his  sham 
horse.  Then,  more  peculiar  even  than  Saint  James, 
was  a  tall  Mexican,  dressed  in  cowboy  fashion,  with 
wide-spreading  sombrero  on  his  head  and  jingling 
spurs  on  his  heels,  wielding  a  large  accordion  and 
playing  with  earnestness  and  vigor.  By  his  side  was 
another  Mexican.  This  latter  had  evidently  taken 
full  charge  of  the  ceremonies.  His  wand  of  office  was 
a  vicious-looking  blacksnake  whip  with  which  every 
now  and  again  he  fiercely  beat  the  air.  Then  followed 
large  crowd  of  Mexican  visitors, — men,  women  and 
children,  all  decked  in  their  festival  finery,  who  every 
rear  come  to  participate  in  this  festival  at  Acoma. 
Tow  came  a  stalwart  Acoma  Indian  bearing  the  pro- 
issional  cross,  then  the  Governor  and  his  officers, 
?ollowed  by  the  priest  in  his  robes  of  office.  Behind 
im,  seated  in  a  cabinet  evidently  made  for  the  pur- 
>se  and  borne  aloft  over  the  heads  of  the  bearers, 
the  wooden  figure  of  Saint  Stephen,  taken  down 
from  its  place  on  the  altar.  Over  the  figure  of  the 
saint  a  cloth  canopy  was  held,  the  four  corners  of 


114  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

which  were  supported  by  staffs  in  the  hands  of  four 
men.  Then  came  the  band  of  singers  and  the  whole 
of  the  population,  men,  women  and  children.  This 
procession  solemnly  wended  its  way  up  and  down 
every  street  of  the  pueblo. 

Dr.  James  was  busy  photographing  all  the  time 
and  succeeded  in  getting  a  number  of  most  interest- 
ing photographs.  Following  him,  we  were  able  to 
get  in  advance  of  the  procession  several  times  and 
thus  have  it  pass  us  again  and  again  in  interesting 
review.  At  one  time,  while  we  were  waiting  its  com- 
ing down  the  street  at  the  corner  of  which  we  were 
standing,  we  were  amazed  to  hear  the  accordion  strike 
up  with  a  good  deal  of  fervor  and  vigor  one  of  the 
popular  dance-tunes  which  shortly  before  had  been 
ground  out  from  every  hand-organ  and  mechanical- 
piano  on  the  streets  of  our  eastern  cities.  To  us  the 
effect  seemed  funny  and  incongruous  in  the  highest, 
but  the  Mexicans  and  Indians  heard  in  it  nothing 
strange  or  peculiar  and  received  the  suggestive 
strains  of  the  dance-tune  with  as  much  solemnity  as 
if  it  had  been  the  staidest  hymn-tune  ever  written. 

In  one  of  the  main  streets  a  small  ramada  or  shel- 
ter had  been  built.  It  was  constructed  of  poles,  artis- 
tically and  prettily  covered  with  branches  of  beautiful 
green  trees, — cottonwood,  quaking  aspen,  pinion  and 
juniper.  Inside  this  ramada  the  figure  of  St.  Stephen 
was  placed,  forming  part  of  the  rude  altar  which  had 
already  been  prepared.  Having  thus  escorted  the 
figure  of  the  saint  to  his  shrine  for  the  day,  the  pro- 
cession now  disbanded.  The  priest  retired  and  took 
his  long  delayed  breakfast,  for  of  course  no  priest  is 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 


115 


illowed  to  partake  of  food  until  after  the  mass  has 
in  celebrated,  while  the  governor  and  principales 
it  down  inside  the  bower,  guarding  the  figure  of  the 
tint,  and  at  the  same  time  officially  showing  their 
aspect  for  the  ceremonies  of  the  day.  The  proces- 


1 


DANCE    AT    ACOMA,    THE    SINGING    CHORUS    IS    SEEN    TO    THE 

LEFT 


sional  cross  was  held  outside  by  one  of  the  sturdy 

young  men  and  on  the  other  side  of  the  bower  stood 

mother  young  Indian  bearing  a  loaded  gun,  as  if  to 

off  all  intruders. 

During  the  rest  of  the  morning  all  the  devout 
members  of  the  tribe,  men  and  women,  came  to  pray 
at  the  little  shrine,  each  one  bringing  some  gift-offer- 
ing of  bread,  baked-meat,  clothing,  pottery,  corn, 


116  A  LITTLE  JOUENEY  TO 

melons,  jewelry,  or  other  article,  all  of  which  were 
deposited  around  the  foot  of  the  altar  and  left  there. 
In  the  mean  time  Santiago  must  have  retired  to  re- 
fresh himself.  Anyhow,  he  disappeared  for  a  time, 
after  which  he  returned  at  intervals  always  accom- 
panied by  the  Mexican  major-domo  with  the  heavy 
rawhide  whip. 

Soon  after  the  noon  hour  the  dances  began  and  it- 
required  no  explanation  to  see  that  these  were  a  rem- 
nant of  the  old  heathen  part  of  the  ceremonies  upon 
which  the  civilized  and  Christian  part  had  been 
grafted.  The  head-dresses  of  the  women  clearly  sym- 
bolized the  old  time  Acoma  worship  of  the  Sun,  and 
Dr.  James  told  us  that  the  other  symbols  and  the 
words  of  the  songs  which  were  sung  showed  that  some 
of  the  dances  were  the  ancient  thanksgiving  dances 
for  the  good  things  the  people  had  received  at  the 
hands  of  Those  Above,  and  also  a  prayer  for  rain. 
He  showed  us  the  symbols  of  the  rainbow,  the  clouds, 
falling-rain,  the  planted  corn,  the  same  as  the  first 
blade  sprang  from  the  earth  and  its  final  ripe  condi- 
tion. The  men  wore  a  kilt,  or  apron,  reaching  from 
the  loin  to  knees,  embroidered  and  fringed  garters 
and  moccasins.  Dependent  from  the  loins  at  the  back 
was  the  skin  of  the  silver  gray  fox,  and  around  both 
arms  above  the  elbow  were  tied  twigs  of  juniper  or 
pine.  In  the  left  hand  more  twigs  were  held,  while  in 
the  right  was  the  whitewashed  gourd-rattle  used  in 
all  ceremonial  dances.  Around  each  forehead  was 
the  inevitable  handkerchief,  and  nearly  all  wore  a 
shell  and  turquoise  necklace.  Their  bodies  and  legs 
were  nude,  painted  with  an  oxide  of  iron.  The  women 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          117 

on  the  other  hand  were  bedecked  with  all  the  gor- 
geous finery  they  could  muster.  Jotsitz  (robe),  gir- 
dle, moccasins,  leggings,  necklaces,  etc.,  that  were  too 
for  common  use,  or  were  especially  made  for 
this  great  occasion,  were  donned,  and  in  addition,  the 
peculiar  symbolic  headdress  made  of  board  or  raw- 
hide which  I  have  already  described.  To  and  fro 
they  danced,  the  men  two  together,  giving  the  singu- 
lar hippety-hop  movement  peculiar  to  Indian  dances, 
and  shaking  their  rattles,  the  women,  likewise  in 
twos,  following  in  alternate  order,  gently  waving 
bunches  of  wild  flowers,  and  shuffling  forward  with 
their  feet  as  the  men  hopped.  On  the  other  side  of 
the  street  stood  the  tombes — drums — and  the  chorus, 
the  leader  occasionally  making  gestures,  all  of  which 
were  imitated  by  the  singers,  expressive  of  their 
thankfulness  to  " Those  Above." 

The  dancing  was  done  in  relays,  as  it  is  no  easy 
thing  to  keep  up  the  strenuous  and  vigorous  stepping 
of  the  Indian  dances  in  the  broiling  hot  sun  for  long 
at  a  time.  Only  those  who  have  tried  the  peculiar 
step  of  the  Indian  dances  know  what  hard  work  it 
is  and  how  difficult.  The  time  is  kept  by  a  statuesque 
old  man  whose  wrinkled  face  shows  that  he  has  par- 
ticipated in  these  festivals  for  many  generations. 
ie  tombe  is  a  wonderful  old  instrument,  made  per- 
ips  six  or  seven  centuries  ago,  by  hollowing  out  a 
section  of  the  solid  trunk  of  a  tree  with  the  rude  flint 
knife  of  the  ancients.  The  two  ends  were  then  cov- 
ered with  green  rawhide  on  which  some  of  the  hair 
was  still  allowed  to  remain,  which  were  then  laced 
together  with  green  rawhide  thongs.  When  these  be- 


118  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

came  dry  they  pulled  the  two  drum-heads  as  taut  as 
if  they  were  stretched  by  the  most  approved  methods 
of  modern  instrument  makers. 

Turn,  turn,  turn,  beat  the  drums,  all  in  perfect 
time.  Altogether  as  if  they  were  controlled  by  ma- 
chinery, each  man-dancer  raises  his  right  foot  with 
a  quick  jerk  to  the  height  of  eight  or  ten  inches  above 
the  ground.  The  next  moment,  but  all  in  time,  he 
gives  a  tiny  hitch  forward  or  hop  with  his  left  foot, 
while  the  right  foot  is  suspended  in  the  air.  Then 
bringing  the  right  foot  down,  he  lifts  his  left  foot 
with  the  same  quick  jerk,  following  the  movement 
with  the  tiny  hop  of  the  right  foot.  It  is  this  little 
and  almost  imperceptible  hop,  following  the  main 
step,  that  gives  the  peculiar  character  to  the  Indian's 
dances.  As  the  afternoon  progressed  and  the  fervor 
of  the  dancers  increased,  the  step  became  higher  and 
more  vigorous  and  the  little  hitch  of  the  other  foot 
more  marked.  To  dance  such  dances  the  Indians 
must  need  be  athletes,  as  no  others  could  possibly 
endure  the  physical  labor  for  any  length  of  time. 

THE  STORY  OF  A  " CIVILIZED"  INDIAN 

OUR  attention  was  particularly  called  to  one  young 
man  who  was  apparently  the  most  earnest  and  sin- 
cere dancer  of  them  all.  No  one  else  lifted  his  feet 
as  high  as  did  he.  No  one  gave  the  syncopated  move- 
ment of  the  other  foot  so  markedly  as  he.  One  would 
have  thought  he  was  the  most  devout,  if  the  fervor  of 
his  dancing  was  any  guide.  While  we  were  watching 
him,  he  looked  up  and  caught  the  eye  of  Dr.  James. 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          119 

peculiar  smile  came  over  his  face,  and  the  next 
loment,  darting  a  flashing  glance  around  to  see 
diether  he  was  observed  or  not,  his  smile  deepened 
into  a  broad  grin,  and  then  he  gave  a  most  decided 
wink  to  the  doctor,  at  the  same  time,  with  a  rapid 
glance  to  his  feet,  evidently  calling  attention  to  his 
emphatic  dancing.  ( 

We  learned  that  he  had  been  a  student  at  the  cele- 
brated government  school  at  Carlisle,  Pa.,  and  other 
Indian  schools,  where  he  had  been  taught  the  "white 
man's  ways."  He  had  learned  that  the  dances  of  his 
people  were  heathen  ceremonies,  full  of  foolish  super- 
stition, and  that  civilization  deemed  such  exhibitions 
altogether  unnecessary  and  unworthy  of  an  intelli- 
gent and  progressive  people.  After  several  years 
of  our  kind  of  education  the  boy  returned,  as  a  young 
man,  to  the  home  of  his  forefathers.  He  was  thor- 
oughly convinced  of  all  his  teachers  had  taught  him 
and  as  he  was  of  a  brave  and  fearless  type  he  did  not 
hesitate  to  say  so.  Consequently  when  the  next  re- 
ligious dances  were  held,  he  not  only  refused  to  par- 
ticipate in  them,  but  openly  and  strongly  condemned 
them  as  remnants  of  the  foolish  superstitions  of  his 
ancestors.  He  even  openly  made  fun  of  those  who 
did  dance  and  loudly  laughed  and  jeered  when  he  was 
told  that  the  vengeance  of  the  ancient  gods  of  the 
Acomas  would  fall  upon  him. 

That  night  he  was  awakened  out  of  a  sound  sleep 
to  find  himself  in  the  hands  of  a  dozen  strong  men, 
who  gagged  him,  tied  him  hand  and  foot,  and  carried 
him  down  into  one  of  the  underground  kivas.  Here, 
sitting  in  a  solemn  conclave,  were  the  governor  and 


120  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

all  of  the  principals  and  the  shamans  (or  priests)  of 
the  various  religious  organizations  of  the  Acomas. 
Trussed  up  like  a  dressed  fowl,  the  now  frightened 
youth  was  deposited  in  the  center  of  the  chamber, 
whose  darkness  was  made  only  a  little  more  notice- 
able by  the  dim  light  that  came  from  the  few  coals 
on  the  center  hearth.  Solemnly  and  silently  the  old 
men  smoked  their  cigarettes,  as  if  meditating  upon 
some  important  theme.  The  silence  became  more  and 
more  impressive.  A  half  hour  of  it  put  a  strange 
and  sickening  fear  into  the  heart  of  the  educated 
and  civilized  Indian.  His  teachers  had  not  said  any- 
thing about  the  possibility  of  anyone  objecting  to  his 
change  of  opinion  and  his  free  expressions  in  regard 
to  that  change.  It  began  to  dawn  upon  him  that  his 
actions  had  not  met  with  universal  approval. 

Suddenly  at  a  sign  from  the  Governor,  his  bands 
were  loosed  and  the  gag  removed  from  his  mouth. 
The  oldest  medicine  man  then  proceeded  in  a  very 
calm  but  exceedingly  impressive  manner  to  inform 
him  "that  his  irreverent  words  and  conduct  had  not 
only  deeply  wounded  the  religious  sentiments  of  the 
Acoma  people,  but  if  allowed  to  go  unpunished, 
would  bring  upon  the  town  and  its  people  some  severe 
visitation  of  Those  Above.  He  had  been  to  the  white 
man's  school,  certainly,  but  white  men  did  not  know 
everything.  They  might  know  what  was  good  for 
themselves,  but  they  did  not  always  know  what  was 
good  for  the  Indian.  For  centuries  the  Acomas  had 
been  a  highly  favored  people,  cared  for  by  the  good- 
ness and  wisdom  of  Those  Above,  but  the  gods  were 
only  to  be  propitiated  by  reverence  and  due  observa- 


SOME  STEANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 


121 


tions  of  the  old  time  methods  of  worship.  To  impress 
this  fact  upon  the  educated  mind  of  the  youth,  it  had 
been  decided  by  those  present  that  certain  impres- 
sions should  be  made  upon  the  young  renegade's 
body." 

Immediately   four   of   the   most   stalwart   men 


JAMES    MILLER    (SEATED),    WIFE    AND    BROTHER-IN-LAW 

sprang  forward,  tied  the  youth's  hands  above  his 
head  by  means  of  a  rawhide  riata,  which  was  then 
pulled  over  one  of  the  overhead  beams.  It  took  four 
willing  pairs  of  hands  but  a  moment  to  stretch  the 
rope  tight  so  that  the  lad's  toes  just  touched  the 
ground  and  enabled  him  to  keep  himself  from  swing- 


122  A  LITTLE  JOUENEY  TO 

ing.  His  blanket  had  fallen  from  him,  exposing  his 
entire  nude  body  save  for  the  G  string  around  his 
loins.  The  next  moment  a  rawhide  whip  was  brought 
down  with  force  and  vigor  upon  the  bronzed  flesh 
to  the  rhythmic  beating  of  the  tombe  and  the  accom- 
paniment of  the  weird  "song  of  punishment." 

When  the  now  repentant  youth  was  lowered  to 
the  ground,  it  was  found  that  he  had  fainted,  and  it 
took  several  long  weeks  for  the  cruel  wounds  upon 
his  back  fully  to  heal. 

But  he  had  learned  his  lesson.  It  was  that  the 
"ways  of  the  old"  are  not  always  to  be  changed  in 
a  few  hours  by  the  frivolous  remarks  of  one  who  has 
received  education  in  a  different  civilization.  Some 
of  the  perpetrators  of  the  whipping  were  afterwards 
arrested  and  imprisoned,  but  later,  in  speaking  to  us 
about  it,  James  Miller,  as  this  civilized  Indian  had 
been  called  at  the  white  man's  school,  calmly  in- 
formed us  that  he  had  found  the  only  way  for  him  to 
live  was  in  conformity  with  the  ancient  habits  of  his 
people,  and  that  the  only  way  he  could  avert  suspi- 
cion from  himself  was  by  being,  as  we  had  seen  he 
was,  the  most  earnest  and  vigorous  dancer  in  the 
throng. 

THE  INDIAN  CHORUS 

BUT  we  have  not  yet  taken  a  good  look  at  the  chorus. 
The  leaders  in  this  are  young  men  dressed  in  snowy- 
white  shirts  and  many  of  them  wearing  regular 
sombrero  hats.  A  few  have  on  colored  calico  shirts, 
with  the  usual  headband  of  the  Indian.  They  sing, 
in  perfect  time,  a  tune  in  rich,  resonant  voices  which 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES    123 

would  be  a  joy  to  many  a  chorus-master  if  they  were 
trained  to  present  his  civilized  form  of  music.  Some 
of  their  songs  are  quaint  and  queer,  but  others  have 
a  decidedly  civilized  sound,  as  if  they  had  been 
learned  from  the  Spanish  priests  of  the  days  gone  by. 


THE  DISTRIBUTION  OF  THE  GIFTS  AT   ACOMA,   N.   M. 

THE  DISTRIBUTION   OF   THE   GIFTS 

THE  dancing  kept  up  until  near  the  time  of  the 
setting-sun.  Then  all  the  crowd  seemed  to  center 
in  front  of  one  of  the  house-tops  on  which  the 
caciques  or  medicine  men  were  seated,  calmly  smok- 
ing cigarettes  and  awaiting  the  arrival  of  someone. 
Almost  simultaneouslv  with  our  own  arrival  at  the 


124  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

rear  of  the  crowd,  two  stalwart  young  fellows,  fol- 
lowed by  two  buxom  Indian  maidens,  appeared,  each 
laden  down  with  the  gifts  that  had  been  deposited 
during  the  day  in  front  of  the  altar.  Setting  these  down 
by  the  side  of  the  caciques,  they  withdrew  to  watch 
the  fun  they  knew  would  follow.  The  caciques  arose, 
and,  picking  up  the  articles  one  by  one,  hurled  them 
out  into  the  midst  of  the  crowd.  One  can  imagine 
the  shouts,  yells  and  cheers  that  followed.  A  baked 
sho'ulder  of  mutton  was  followed  by  a  half  dozen 
loaves,  baked  in  a  peculiar  mold  to  conform  to  cer- 
tain religious  ideas.  Pieces  of  red  calico  were 
whirled  out,  followed  or  preceded  by  a  squash  or 
watermelon.  If  either  of  the  latter  happened  to  miss 
the  hands  of  its  would-be  catcher  and  was  smashed 
in  its  fall,  the  jollity  and  merriment  seemed  only  to 
be  increased.  The  skill  of  the  catchers  was  equaled 
only  by  the  speed  with  which  they  disposed  of  that 
which  they  caught,  each  catcher  evidently  having  an 
accomplice  to  carry  what  was  caught,  and  with  whom 
he  doubtless  shared  his  plunder  later  on. 

This  merry  scene  continued  until  all  the  gifts 
were  distributed,  and  that  brought  to  a  close  the 
ceremonies  of  that  particular  day. 

AN   EXTEMPORIZED   PERFORMANCE 

IT  MIGHT  have  been  so  if  we  had  not  been  there,  but 
Dr.  James  and  Father  Juillard  decided  upon  an 
extemporized  addition  to  the  Indian  programme 
which,  after  supper,  they  proceeded  to  carry  out, 
The  former  had  brought  with  him  fifty  pounds  of 
candy,  which  we  had  thought  a  rather  large  allow- 
ance for  a  band  of  school  boys  and  girls  (ourselves). 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          125 

We  were  now  to  learn  why  so  much  had  been  brought. 
Sending  messengers  to  every  house  where  there  was 
a  boy  or  girl  old  enough  to  walk,  it  was  not  long 
before  Lorenzo's  house  was  surrounded  by  a  happy, 
shouting,  gesticulating  mob  of  Acoma  youngsters, 
and  the  scrambling  process  of  a  short  time  ago  was 
repeated;  but  the  gifts  this  time  were  the  dulces 
(sweets)  of  the  white  man.  And  rapidly  we  saw 
what  we  thought  were  our  sweets  thrown  to  these 
Indians.  In  the  meantime,  Father  Juillard  had 
brought  out  from  its  case  a  fine  silver  cornet,  upon 
which  instrument  he  was  a  master  player.  Stepping 
to  the  doorway,  he  led  the  air  while  Dr.  James  taught 
the  assembled  youngsters,  we  helping  him  with  our 
voices,  the  two  well-known  American  songs,  "John 
Brown's  Body"  and  "Marching  Through  Georgia." 
Then,  lining  up  the  youngsters  for  a  procession,  of 
which  we  formed  the  disreputable  tail,  led  by  the 
cornet,  the  whole  mob  of  us  started  to  procession  the 
town,  singing  these  two  songs,  just  as  the  religious 
procession  had  marched  through  the  town  in  the 
morning.  In  a  few  moments  every  housetop  had  its 
Indian  occupants,  and  smiling  bronzed  faces  of  papas 
and  mamas,  aunts  and  uncles,  cousins  and  grandpas, 
were  waving  and  shouting  greetings  to  the  happy, 
boisterous  band  of  youngsters  and  the  jolly-hearted 
priest  and  the  white  men  who  were  making  a  festival 
for  the  little  ones.  At  first,  Professor  and  Mrs. 
Young  expressed  a  fear  lest  the  feelings  of  the 
Indians  should  be  hurt  by  what  they  might  regard 
as  a  caricature  or  travesty  on  their  own  procession ; 
but  the  padre  and  Dr.  James  knew  the  Indians  too 


126  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

well  to  run  the  risk  of  giving  any  such  offense. 
Everybody  was  delighted.  Everybody  was  radiantly 
happy.  Everybody  thought  it  a  grand  conclusion  to 
the  interesting  and  happy  day. 

But  even  when  all  the  children  had  been  dismissed 
and  we  had  returned  to  Lorenzo's  house,  we  found 
the  programme  was  not  yet  completed.  Tata  Lorenzo 
had  so  enjoyed  the  playing  of  the  cornet  that  he  had 
requested  the  padre  to  give  him  and  his  family  a  little 
more  music.  Gladly  the  genial  padre  responded  to 
his  request,  and  for  an  hour  or  more  played  all  kinds 
of  American,  French  and  other  airs  in  which  we 
now  and  again  joined  in  chorus.  Some  of  the  songs 
were  college  songs,  and  in  this  our  artist  friend,  Mr. 
Simmons,  so  heartily  joined  that  before  long  he  was 
" acting  up"  and  frolicking  as  college  boys  generally 
do  when  they  are  having  a  fine  time.  He  and  Tata 
Lorenzo  were  already  great  friends,  and  it  must  have 
been  the  very  opposite  of  their  character  that  had 
bound  them  together.  Tata  Lorenzo  was  the  most 
solemn,  dignified,  stately  Indian  we  met  on  the  whole 
trip ;  while  Mr.  Simmons  was  of  that  excitable,  viva- 
cious, jolly  temperament  that  made  fun  of,  for  and 
with  everything  and  everybody.  Yet  it  mattered  not 
what  he  did,  his  every  act  seemed  to  meet  the  approval 
of  Lorenzo,  and  now,  all  at  once,  he  started  a  fan- 
tastic, dramatic  representation  of  that  wild,  foolish, 
frivolous  and  ridiculous  song,  "The  Wild  Man  of 
Borneo  Has  Just  Come  to  Town."  Thrusting  his 
fingers  through  his  long  hair  and  making  it  stand 
on  end,  turning  up  his  coat  collar  and  acting  like  a 
veritable  wild  man,  dancing  and  gesticulating  with 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES    127 

a  fantastic  ferocity  and  vigor  that  only  a  wild 
African  could  have  emulated,  he  sung  in  inimitable 
style  this  excruciatingly  ridiculous  thing — that  is,  it 
was  excruciatingly  ridiculous  as  he  sung  it.  In  front 
of  him  sat  the  dignified  Lorenzo.  Advancing  towards 
him,  retreating  from  him,  dancing  to  the  right  and 
left  of  him,  making  all  kinds  of  dramatic  gestures, 
couth  and  uncouth,  he  sang  until  the  rest  of  us  were 
simply  hysterical  with  laughter.  Without  a  change 
of  facial  expression  to  signify  what  he  thought,  the 
immobile  Indian  sat  looking  and  listening,  and  only 
at  the  conclusion  of  the  song,  his  hearty  congratula- 
tions as  he  arose  and  his  patting  of  his  white  friend 
on  the  back,  affectionately  putting  his  arm  around 
him,  showed  how  sincerely  he  meant  it  when  in  his 
simple  way  he  exclaimed  in  Spanish,  "Esta  bueno! 
Esta  muclio  'bueno!" 

We  could  well  have  spent  a  month  at  Acoma, 
but  the  places  ahead  of  us  were  made  alluring 
and  attractive  by  the  brief  descriptions  every  now 
and  again  poured  into  our  willing  ears  by  Dr.  James. 
So,  reluctantly,  we  left  our  most  hospitable,  kind  and 
interesting  host  and  his  family  and  the  many  friends 
we  felt  we  had  made  in  Acoma.  Driving  back  to 
Laguna,  we  had  another  good  look  at  the  Enchanted 
Mesa,  riding  all  around  it  and  thinking  of  its  strange 
history,  and  we  then  took  a  train  for  Grants,  only 
thirty  miles  farther  on. 

Soon  after  leaving  Laguna  we  saw  large  masses 
of  a  dark,  black  rock  on  each  side  of  the  track. 
These,  we  were  told,  were  the  great  lava  flows  of 
New  Mexico.  This  whole  region  is  covered  with 


128 


A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 


signs  of  volcanic  activity,  of  several  different  periods. 
The  geologists  tell  us  many  interesting  things  about 
what  they  read  in  the  cold,  black  rocks. 

On  our  arrival  at  Grants  we  found  nothing  but  a 
Mexican  and  Indian  trading  store,  occupied  by  a 
garrulous  Jew,  who  treated  us  very  hospitably,  and 


LAVA  FLOW  NEAR  GRANTS,   N.   M. 


two  or  three  Mexican  adobes.  On  the  hills  near  by 
were  three  or  four  Navaho  hogans.  From  this  point, 
however,  we  were  to  visit  several  interesting  places, 
including  San  Mateo,  San  Rafael,  Inscription  Rock, 
and  Zuni. 

A    HISTORIC   WATER-ROCK 

SAN  MATEO  is  one  of  the  most  Mexican  towns  within 
the  borders  of  the  United  States.  Here  scarcely  half 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          129 

a  dozen  people  could  be  found  who  spoke  English. 
We  were  invited  to  the  home  of  Don  Ramon  Chaves, 
the  son  of  one  of  the  old  Spanish  dons,  Manuel 
Antonio  Chaves,  who  lived  here  in  great  power  prior 
to  the  time  when  New  Mexico  became  a  part  of  the 
United  States. 

Here  we  found  two  most  interesting  photographs. 
One  was  of  Don  Manuel  himself,  showing  a  fine, 
striking  face,  with  large,  luminous  eyes,  over-arching 
forehead,  mobile  lips,  and  strong  but  friendly  chin, 
speaking  clearly  of  the  man  of  dignity,  character 
and  power.  The  other  portrait  was  of  his  wife,  who 
was  great-granddaughter  of  a  famous  Spanish  soldier 
who,  like  Don  Manuel's  father,  settled  in  New 
Mexico  nearly  two  centuries  ago. 

The  history  of  Don  Manuel  is  as  fascinating  as 
a  romance.  He  was  born  at  the  town  of  Atrisco,  on 
the  west  side  of  the  Rio  Grande,  opposite  the  present 
city  of  Albuquerque,  on  the  18th  day  of  October,  1818. 
This  house  in  which  he  lived  was  built  by  him. 

It  was  Don  Manuel's  son,  Ramon,  who  had  invited 
us  to  San  Mateo,  and  he  had  sent  two  wagons  and 
several  saddle-horses  to  meet  us  at  Grants,  to  convey 
us  the  sixteen  miles  across  country  over  which  we 
had  to  travel.  It  was  a  happy  and  jolly  crowd  that 
piled  into  the  wragons,  mixed  up  with  our  baggage 
and  camp  outfit.  For  each  of  us  had  a  roll  of  bed- 
ding, done  up  in  canvas,  and  we  were  now  going  to 
use  it  for  actually  camping  out  in  the  open  air. 

What  fun  we  had  on  that  drive !  Nobody  seemed 
to  be  in  a  hurry,  and  we  were  having  too  much  jollity 
to  care.  Some  of  the  horses  balked,  and  one  of  them 


130 


A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 


didn't  want  to  go  our  way,  and  the  drivers  seemed 
to  be  at  their  wit's  end.  Dr.  James  wickedly  said 
that  was  because  we  girls  were  there  and  the  Mexican 
drivers  couldn't  swear  as  they  wished  to. 


THE    WATER    POCKET    WHERE    DON    MANUEL    CHAVES    FOUND 
WATER   AND   THUS    SAVED   HIS    LIFE 


A  few  miles  from  Grants  station  we  left  the  road 
in  order  that  we  might  see  a  spot  that  we  could  have 
hunted  for  fifty  years  and  never  have  found.  It  was 
a  remarkable  cliff  or  tremendous  mass  of  red  sand- 
stone, up  which  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  climb.  On 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          131 

the  top  the  erosive  forces  of  nature  had  scooped  out 
of  the  sandstone  a  large  bowl  with  several  smaller 
ones  that  would  hold  many  gallons  of  water.  There 
was  water  in  it  when  we  saw  it,  but  who  could  ever 
have  dreamed  that,  in  this  sandy  desert,  there  was  a 
reservoir  of  pure  rain-water  lifted  up  like  a  giant 
drinking-cup  waiting  to  be  filled  at  each  rainstorm! 
It  looked  innocent  enough,  but  to  show  us  how  impor- 
tant the  knowledge  of  the  location  of  such  an  unusual 
water-pocket  could  be,  Dr.  James  told  us  the  fol- 
lowing romantic  story  of  Don  Manuel : 

When  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  his  oldest 
brother,  Jose,  was  made  commander  of  an  expedition 
of  fifty  young  men,  who  left  the  town  of  Cebolleta 
(where  the  Chaves  family  then  lived,  there  being  no 
San  Mateo  at  that  time) .  The  expedition  was  planned 
for  the  purpose  of  punishing  the  Navahoes,  who  for 
many  years  had  been  in  the  habit  of  waging  war 
upon  the  New  Mexicans,  robbing  them  of  their  horses 
and  sheep  and  stealing  their  children,  whom  they 
took  and  kept  in  captivity. 

It  was  their  expectation  that  they  would  find  the 
Navahoes,  as  was  their  wont,  in  isolated  bands 
throughout  the  country  which  they  regarded  as  their 
own.  But  in  this  expectation  they  were  sadly  dis- 
appointed. They  marched  for  a  number  of  days 
without  meeting  a  single  Indian,  and  at  last  finding 
the  trail  of  a  small  band,  they  followed  it,  antici- 
pating a  short  conflict  and  a  speedy  victory.  Not 
being  as  careful  as  they  should  have  been,  they  sent 
no  scouts  ahead,  and,  almost  before  they  were  aware, 
they  had  entered  the  heart  of  Canyon  de  Chelly, 


132  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

where  several  thousands  of  Indians  were  gathered 
for  the  purpose  of  holding  one  of  their  great  feasts 
and  ceremonial  dances.  The  Mexicans  were  too  near 
the  Indians  when  they  were  discovered  to  allow  them 
either  to  form  in  battle  array  or  to  retreat.  The 
result  was  that,  although  every  man  of  the  expedition 
proved  himself  a  hero  and  fought  with  the  despera- 
tion of  despair,  they  were  so  overwhelmed  with 
numbers  that  there  was  no  possible  chance  of  escape. 
It  was  a  desperate  hand-to-hand  conflict,  and  the 
close  of  the  day  saw  what  appeared  to  be  the  dead 
body  of  every  man  of  the  expedition.  Manuel's 
brother  was  slain  outright,  and  Manuel  himself 
received  seven  arrow  wounds,  one  arrow  having 
pierced  his  body  through. 

Rejoicing  in  their  great  victory,  the  Navahoes 
moved  a  mile  or  two  away  from  the  battle-field  to 
continue  their  dances,  and  that  proved  to  be  Manuel's 
salvation.  For  he  recovered  consciousness  during  the 
night,  plucked  out  the  arrows  from  his  wounds,  and, 
though  scarcely  able  to  stagger,  began  to  hunt  among 
the  dead  for  the  body  of  his  brother.  Whilst  doing 
this,  another  member  of  the  party  returned  to  con- 
sciousness. It  was  a  civilized  Navaho  boy  who  had 
accompanied  the  expedition  from  Cebolleta.  This 
boy  had  been  severely  wounded  early  in  the  conflict, 
but  had  managed  to  hide  himself  in  the  rocks  at  one 
side  of  the  canyon.  Finding  the  Indians  gone,  he 
came  out  and  assisted  Manuel  in  his  search  for  his 
brother.  "When  the  dead  body  was  found  they  buried 
it  in  the  sand.  They  then  decided  to  escape  and  find 
their  way  back  to  Cebolleta.  Summoning  all  their 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          133 

will-power  and  strength,  they  started  homewards. 
But,  as  they  had  no  means  of  carrying  water,  and 
knew  they  would  have  to  have  some  to  sustain  life, 
they  were  compelled  to  take  a  round-about  journey 
and  aim  for  a  spring  known  as  Ojo  del  Osos  (The 
Spring  of  the  Bears),  which  is  on  the  site  of,  and 
still  supplies  water  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  at, 
what  is  nowr  Port  Wingate.  They  arrived  here 
parched  and  almost  dead  from  thirst.  Manuel  knew 
that  caution  would  be  necessary  in  drinking,  and  he 
begged  his  companion  to  be  careful  and  drink  mod- 
erately, but  the  poor  lad's  thirst  overcame  his  good 
judgment  and  he  drank  to  excess.  Manuel  also 
jumped  into  the  spring.  While  the  water  set  his 
wounds  to  bleeding  afresh,  the  stimulus  of  the  bath 
was  of  great  benefit  to  him.  The  Indian  boy,  how- 
ever, refused  to  bathe,  and,  instead,  plugged  up  his 
wounds  with  the  fluffy  material  picked  from  the 
inside  of  his  moccasins.  Then  they  stretched  out  and 
slept.  When  Manuel  awoke  in  the  morning  he  felt 
wonderfully  strengthened  and  refreshed,  but  to  his 
great  distress  his  companion  lay  dead  by  his  side, 
bloated  and  distorted.  Reluctantly  he  was  compelled 
to  leave  the  dead  body,  as  he  had  neither  strength  nor 
tools  to  bury  it  with,  and,  with  a  further  saddened 
heart,  started  again  for  home. 

But  he  was  still  in  the  heart  of  a  hostile  country, 
and  home  was  many,  many  miles  away.  As  he  had 
no  means  of  carrying  water,  he  scarcely  deemed  it 
possible  to  sustain  life  without  it  until  he  reached 
Cebolleta,  but  he  determined  to  do  his  best  and 
struggle  on.  Weary  and  exhausted  at  the  close  of 


134  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

the  day,  he  felt  he  must  secure  water  or  perish.  Next 
morning  as  he  early  began  his  efforts,  he  came  to  an 
Indian  trail  which  he  was  impelled  to  follow.  It  led 
directly  to  this  rock.  With  great  difficulty  he  climbed 
the  steep  sides,  and  there,  to  his  intense  delight,  he 
found  an  abundant  supply  of  water.  It  was  pure, 
clear  and  cold,  and  he  drank  until  he  was  satisfied. 
With  renewed  strength  he  continued  homewards, 
and  that  night  slept  in  a  beautiful  valley,  under  the 
shelter  of  some  live-oak  trees,  and  there  vowed  that 
if  God  in  His  goodness  spared  his  life  he  would 
build  a  chapel  for  His  worship. 

The  next  day  he  saw  the  smoke  of  what  he  guessed 
to  be  the  camp-fire  of  Mexican  shepherds  on  the  San 
Mateo  mountains,  and,  succeeding  in  attracting  their 
attention,  they  came  to  his  rescue.  Constructing  a 
rude  litter,  they  tenderly  carried  him  to  Ceboletta, 
where  his  naturally  rugged  constitution  soon  enabled 
him  to  recover. 

He  grew  to  a  valiant  manhood  and  ere  long 
became  known  as  one  of  the  bravest  Indian  fighters 
of  New  Mexico,  a  reputation  he  maintained  until  his 
death,  having  led  many  successful  expeditions  against 
the  Navahoes.  When  General  Kearny  marched  upon 
Santa  Fe  he  was  one  of  the  Mexican  patriots  who 
would  have  fought  to  arrest  his  progress,  but  when 
Governor  Ami  jo  declined  to  fire  a  shot  in  defense 
of  his  country,  Chaves  was  not  long  in  declaring  his 
allegiance  to  the  United  States,  a  pledge  he  most 
faithfully  and  honorably  kept. 

In  the  year  1876 — over  forty  years  after  his 
escape  from  the  Navahoes — he  moved  to  San  Mateo, 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 


135 


and  built  the  house  where  we  were  guests,  within  a 
hundred  feet  of  the  oak  trees  that  had  given  him 
such  friendly  shelter  on  that  occasion,  and  there,  just 
behind  the  trees,  he  built  the  chapel  of  his  vow.  In 
this  chapel  lie  his  remains,  and  here  a  few  years  ago 
Dr.  James  was  present  at  the  burial  of  his  wife,  who 
survived  him  many  years. 


THE   TOWN   OF   SAN   MATEO,    N.    M. 


On  our  arrival  at  San  Mateo  we  were  at  once 
given  a  glimpse  of  genuine  Mexican  life,  for  the 
Spaniards  and  Mexicans  live  here  today  in  actually 
the  same  manner  as  if  they  were  in  the  heart  of 
Mexico.  Practically  nothing  is  changed,  and  their 
customs  are  as  they  have  been  from  time  immemorial. 

It  had  all  been  arranged  beforehand  that  we  were 
to  eat  nothing  but  Mexican  dishes,  hear  nothing  but 
Spanish  music  and  songs,  and  listen  to  nothing  but 


136  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

Spanish  and  Mexican  stories.  We  stayed  here  for 
four  happy  days  and  got  most  interesting  glimpses 
of  a  civilization  of  which  we  had  hitherto  known 
nothing,  never  dreaming  that  there  was  anything  of 
the  kind  existent  within  the  borders  of  our  United 
States. 

The  house  was  a  large  squarish  structure  built  of 
adobe  (which  latter  word,  by  the  way,  is  not  pro- 
nounced a-dob,  but  in  three  syllables,  thus,  a-do-by) . 
It  had  a  flat  roof,  from  which  wooden  gutters  ran 
to  carry  off  the  rain.  The  walls  were  plastered  over 
with  adobe  and  then  whitewashed.  The  people  who 
live  in  them  tell  us  that  they  are  better  than  any  other 
kind  of  house,  as  they  are  warm  in  winter  and  cool 
in  summer.  The  rooms  were  large  and  comfortable, 
and  the  bedroom  in  which  four  of  us  girls  were 
placed  was  most  interesting.  We  slept  on  old- 
fashioned  bedsteads,  but  for  counterpanes  we  had 
priceless  Navaho  blankets,  blankets  that  have  a  his- 
tory, and  were  made,  perhaps,  over  a  hundred  years 
ago.  There  was  the  quaintest  little  fireplace  in  one 
corner,  and  before  we  were  allowed  to  get  up  in  the 
morning  one  of  the  many  Mexican  women  servants 
of  the  place  came  in  and  built  us  a  fire  of  wood  that 
crackled  and  sparkled  while  we  dressed. 

One  day  we  spent  in  visiting  the  homes  of  the 
people ;  another  day  we  went  up  to  see  the  morada 
of  the  penitent es,  for  they  are  very  strong  here  at 
San  Mateo,  and  still  carry  on  their  interesting  but 
dreadful  ceremonies.  Then,  delight  of  delights,  our 
generous  host  arranged  for  us  on  the  following  day 
to  ride  horseback  to  the  summit  of  Mount  San  Mateo, 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          137 

and,  what  was  more,  he  planned  that  we  should  stay 
out  over  night  and  sleep  in  our  blankets  under  the 
stars,  regular  camp-out  fashion,  as  the  sheep-herders 
and  cowboys  do,  and  that  we  should  have  supper  and 
breakfast  cooked  by  the  camp-fire. 

Mount  San  Mateo  is  one  of  the  noted  mountains 
of  New  Mexico.  It  is  called  Tso-tsil  by  the  Nava- 
hoes,  and  is  one  of  their  most  sacred  mountains. 
Many  of  their  legends  and  myths  are  connected 
with  it.  It  is  11,389  feet  high,  and  although  called 
San  Mateo  by  the  Mexicans,  on  September  18,  1849, 
it  was  named  Mount  Taylor  by  Lieutenant  J.  H. 
Simpson,  of  the  United  States  Army,  in  honor  of 
the  then  President  of  the  United  States.  On  the 
map  of  the  Geological  Survey,  the  whole  mass  is 
known  as  Mount  San  Mateo,  while  the  name  given 
by  Lieutenant  Simpson  is  applied  only  to  the  highest 
peak.  The  Navahoes  regard  this  mountain  as  the 
boundary  of  their  country  on  the  south,  although  at 
the  present  day  some  of  their  tribe  live  south  of  it. 
The  San  Francisco  mountains  form  the  boundary  of 
their  country  on  the  West. 

To  the  geologist  this  is  a  most  interesting  pile. 
Major  C.  E.  Dutton,  of  the  United  States  Geological 
Survey,  has  written  one  of  his  prose-poem  mono- 
graphs upon  this  mountain  and  its  surroundings,  in 
which  he  thus  speaks  of  the  lava-flows  of  the  region : 

"The  ages  of  these  eruptions  vary  greatly.  Some 
are  as  old,  probably,  as  Middle  Eocene  time ;  others 
are  so  recent  that  it  seems  almost  certain  that  they 
occurred  within  the  last  thousand  years,  and  there 
is  no  intrinsic  improbability  that  some  of  the  earliest 


138  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

Spanish  visitors  may  have  witnessed  them,  though 
they  have  left  us  no  records." 

But  to  us  the  chief  matter  of  interest  was  that 
on  the  very  summit  of  this  majestic-looking  moun- 
tain was  the  sacred  prayer-spring  of  the  Indians, 
and  that  at  certain  intervals  in  the  year  the  Indians 
come  here  to  pray  for  rain.  The  fact  that  at  certain 
times  of  the  year  a  spring  of  water,  or  what  appears 
to  be  such,  is  to  be  found,  combined  with  the  memo- 
ries of  its  fiery  vomit,  has  led  them  to  regard  it  with 
peculiar  veneration.  Not  only  Zunis,  but  Acomas, 
Lagunas,  Navahoes,  and  Hopis  go  here  to  beseech 
" Those  Above"  to  send  them  rain.  For,  to  them, 
living  as  they  do  in  a  dreary,  barren,  desolate  land, 
water  is  one  of  the  chief  necessities  of  life,  and  many 
of  their  ceremonials  and  dances  owe  their  origin  to 
this  need  of  rain.  Just  before  the  summer  closes  is 
the  time  for  prayer.  Certain  shamans,  or  medicine 
men,  are  selected.  These  generally  belong  to  some 
family  or  clan  that  has  shown  marked  ability  in  the 
production  of  rain  in  the  past.  For  with  the  Indian, 
as  with  the  white  man,  "  Nothing  succeeds  like  suc- 
cess." The  medicine  man  who  expects  patients  must 
show  cures,  and  so  the  shaman  who  looks  for  faith 
in  the  people  who  hear  his  prayers  and  supplications 
and  witness  his  incantations,  must  show  results. 

Sometimes  the  shamans  of  the  Navahoes  will  go 
to  Mount  San  Mateo  alone.  The  Zunis  and  Acomas 
have  had  rain  and  do  not  need  to  pray  for  it;  and 
why  waste  prayers  and  ceremonies  when  "  Those 
Above"  are  good  without  them?  Again,  it  will  be 
the  Acomas  who  go  alone,  or  the  Zunis,  or  the 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          139 


ILagunas,  or  the  Apaches.  Very  rarely  do  they  all 
appear  together.  Five  years  ago  was  a  period  of 
drought  for  the  whole  country,  and  two  or  three 
shamans  from  each  tribe,  each  in  his  own  way,  made 
most  fervent  prayers  that  rain  might  be  sent  in  every 
direction. 

See  these  devout  men — wild  savages  though  they 
appear — as  they  solemnly  ride,  some  from  the  east, 
some  from  the  north,  some  from  the  south,  and  some 
from  the  west,  by  their  respective  trails  to  the  moun- 
tain's summit!  Each  one  shows  that  he  feels  the 
importance  of  his  errand.  He  is  serious,  earnest, 
dignified. 

Arrived  on  the  rocky  summit,  he  awaits  the 
others,  and  when  all  are  there  the  preparations  begin. 
First  of  all,  the  bahos  or  prayer-sticks  must  be  made. 
These  are  small  sticks  of  cottonwood,  painted  in  cer- 
tain conventional  colors,  generally  blue  and  green,  to 
which  feathers  are  tied  with  strings  of  native  cotton. 
Then,  carefully  wrapped  up  in  a  corn  husk,  a  small 
pinch  of  hoddentin — the  sacred  corn-meal  of  the 
Indian  —  is  fastened  to  the  stick,  and,  after  being 
smoked  over  and  prayed  over,  with  petitions  to  the 
powers  of  good  and  evil  in  all  the  six  cardinal 
points — north,  west,  south,  east,  up,  and  down — not 
to  interfere  with  their  efficacy,  the  prayer-sticks 

I  are  ready. 
Now  the  shamans  robe  themselves  in  their  cere- 
monial costumes.  Each  man  bedecks  himself  in 
special  rain-charms,  amulets,  fetiches.  They  all  have 
something  or  other  that  in  times  past  has  proved  to 
be  "good  medicine." 


140  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

One  old  shaman  is  recognized  as  master  of  cere- 
monies, or  head  priest.  He  gives  autocratic  direc- 
tions, and  never  are  his  orders  or  words  questioned. 
Reverently  kneeling,  the  shamans  all  surround  the 
prayer-spring.  The  leader  softly  prays  that  no  man 
may  pray  wrongly  or  selfishly.  He  asks  that  every- 
thing may  be  offered  from  pure  hearts.  "  Those 
Above"  have  been  very  good  in  the  past.  They  have 
cared  for  their  children  on  the  earth.  These  shamans 
have  now  come  to  offer  their  petition  for  rain,  that  the 
corn  may  grow  and  everything  have  its  natural 
increase.  He  then  smokes  the  sacred  pipe,  and  each 
shaman  in  turn  makes  the  smoke  and  puffs  it  to  the 
six  cardinal  points.  Then,  all  still  kneeling,  a  prayer- 
song  is  quietly  chanted,  after  which  the  dance  begins. 
Softly  at  first,  growing  louder  as  it  proceeds,  each 
shaman  sings  as  he  dances.  This  general  dance  con- 
tinues for  quite  a  time,  and  afterwards  each  shaman 
has  his  own  individual  prayer,  song,  and  dance. 

For  four  days  these  ceremonies  continue,  and 
then,  ere  they  leave  the  spring,  each  shaman  digs  a 
channel  in  the  direction  of  his  home — one  towards 
the  Navaho  country,  one  towards  the  Zuni  region, 
one  towards  Acoma,  etc.,  and,  that  " Those  Above" 
cannot  possible  forget  that  rain  is  needed  in  all  these 
directions,  prayer-sticks  are  planted  on  each  side  of 
these  channels, 

Think  of  the  simple  hearts!  " Those  Above" 
have  power  to  send  the  rain,  and  their  memories  are 
treacherous  and  imperfect  and  they  must  be  reminded 
of  the  needs  of  all  the  people ! 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          141 
TO   THE   SUMMIT   OF   MOUNT   SAN   MATEO 

IT  WAS  a  beautiful  morning  when  we  started.  What 
a  lot  of  fun  we  had  in  choosing  horses,  and  of  course 
we  all  had  to  ride  astride.  The  idea  of  the  side- 
saddle had  never  entered  into  the  minds  of  these 


MOUNT   SAN  MATEO,   N.   M. 

simple-hearted  people.  We  had  great  fun  watching 
the  Mexicans  pack  the  mules  and  burros  that  were 
to  take  our  provisions,  cooking  utensils  and  bedding. 
Very  fortunately,  as  it  afterwards  transpired,  our 
guide  insisted  upon  sending  up  several  large  pieces 
of  canvas  which  the  Mexicans  were  going  to  leave 
behind.  When  we  were  all  ready,  stirrups  adjusted, 


142  A  LITTLE  JOUKNEY  TO 

and  each  of  us  provided  with  a  little  switch  to  act 
as  a  persuader  for  our  ponies  if  they  became  refrac- 
tory, our  caravan  started.  The  sky  was  absolutely 
cloudless,  the  air  was  still,  the  weather  serene,  and  it 
seemed  as  if  we  were  going  to  have  one  of  the  most 
delightful  of  excursions. 

To  attempt  to  describe  the  ride  and  the  number- 
less outlooks  as  we  ascended  higher  and  higher 
would  be  altogether  beyond  my  feeble  powers  of 
description.  There  were  some  most  beautiful  groves 
of  quaking  aspen,  and  several  times  the  trail  wound 
where  fat-looking  cattle  grazed  contentedly,  looking 
up  at  us  with  eyes  full  of  surprise  as  we  passed  by. 
When  we  reached  the  summit,  Dr.  James  pointed 
out  to  us  a  number  of  most  interesting  features  in 
the  country  round  about,  and  promised  to  tell  us, 
that  night  as  we  sat  around  the  camp-fire,  the  Navaho 
legends  in  regard  to  them.  One  great  flow  of  black- 
looking  lava,  which  he  said  had  one  time  poured  out 
from  the  open  crater  near  where  we  were,  the  Nava- 
hoes  called  "the  blood  of  Yeitso,"  one  of  their  myth- 
ical hideous  cannibalistic  monsters  who,  according  to 
their  legend,  was  slain  near  here.  Not  much  farther 
away  was  a  peak  which  the  Mexicans  called  El 
Cabazon,  and  this  the  Navahoes  believe  to  be  the 
head  of  Yeitso,  placed  there  after  he  was  slain  by 
their  hero  gods.  Not  far  away,  to  the  east,  we  could 
clearly  see  the  silver  path  of  the  Rio  Grande  winding 
its  way  to  the  south,  while  in  the  far  away  western 
horizon  were  the  San  Francisco  mountains,  the 
Do-ko-tslid  of  the  Navahoes. 

But  our  chief  interest  centered  around  the  prayer- 


SOME  STBANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          143 

spring.  Just  as  we  had  been  told,  we  found  a  natural 
basin  on  the  summit.  At  this  time  it  was  practically 
dry,  although  we  could  see  that  there  were  times  when 
it  was  full  of  water.  The  Mexicans  said  that  if  we 
were  to  dig  there  even  now  we  should  find  water.  All 
around  the  bow]  were  stuck  into  the  ground  little 
wooden  pegs  to  which  neatly  wrapped  corn-husks  full 
of  corn-meal,  with  two  or  three  feathers,  were  tied. 
These  were  the  "b  a  h  os — often  spelled  pahos ;  for  the 
pronunciation  sometimes  seems  to  be  one  and  some- 
times the  other — or  prayer-sticks  that  all  Indians 
use  in  their  prayers.  We  gathered  quite  a  number 
of  them,  for  there  must  have  been  hundreds.  Each 
of  us  had  quite  a  batch.  In  addition,  we  found  a 
number  of  wampum  beads  made  from  shell,  and 
many  beautiful  pieces  of  turquoise  through  which 
a  hole  had  been  bored,  showing  that  they  likewise 
had  been  used  on  strings  of  beads. 

That  night  we  all  helped  provide  supper,  for  we 
were  ravenously  hungry.  Almost  as  soon  as  the  pack- 
mules  reached  the  summit,  one  of  the  Mexicans  had 
built  a  fire  and  put  on  their  big  kettle  of  frijoles— 
the  delicious  red  bean  of  the  Mexicans;  and  when 
they  were  pretty  well  cooked  he  had  sliced  into  them 
several  onions,  tomatoes,  and  some  red  pepper. 

Now  we  were  to  have  a  specimen  of  Dr.  James's 
cooking  of  biscuits  on  the  camp-fire.  A  large  bread- 
pan  and  a  full  sack  of  flour  had  been  brought  up. 
Four  iron  Dutch  ovens  had  been  sent  up.  Just  think 
of  it!  Those  dear,  good  Spaniards  had  gone  to  all 
this  trouble  simply  to  give  us  school-children  the 
pleasant  experience  of  eating  hot  biscuit  made  over 


144  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

a  camp-fire  and  cooked  in  a  Dutch  oven,  on  the 
summit  of  a  mountain  about  twelve  thousand  feet 
high,  in  the  heart  of  what  we  had  always  considered 
a  desert.  Such  hospitality  was  never  heard  of.  You 
can  rest  assured  there  was  a  great  deal  of  interest 
and  curiosity,  as  well  as  sly  laughter  and  humor, 
when  Dr.  James  took  off  his  coat  and  got  ready  to 
make  the  biscuit.  One  of  the  girls  asked  him  if  he 
was  not  going  to  wash  his  hands.  He  replied,  "Yes, 
I  am;  and  I  am  going  to  show  you  how  the  moun- 
taineer and  plainsman  use  a  canteen  when  washing 
their  hands."  Taking  a  cake  of  soap  out  of  the  box, 
he  lifted  up  the  canteen,  unscrewed  the  top,  then  held 
the  vessel  between  his  knees,  with  the  open  top  of 
the  canteen  so  tilted  that  when  he  jerked  his  knees 
forward  a  little  of  the  water  came  out  into  his  open 
hands.  After  he  had  well-lathered  and  washed  his 
hands,  a  few  more  jerks  of  the  knees  sent  out  enough 
water  to  thoroughly  rinse  them,  and  he  was  ready  to 
go  to  work. 

Somehow,  he  didn't  seem  embarrassed  at  all.  He 
went  to  work  just  as  if  he  knew  how.  Yet  he  didn't 
weigh  the  flour,  nor  did  he  cautiously  measure  the 
baking-powder.  He  seemed  to  know  just  how  much 
to  use.  By  his  side  he  had  two  cans  of  unsweetened 
condensed  milk,  and  as  he  poured  in  the  water  he 
added  the  milk,  stirring  the  flour  and  baking-powder 
very  vigorously  while  he  poured  in  the  two  liquids. 
He  had  already  placed  the  four  Dutch  ovens  on  beds 
of  live  coals  which  he  had  scraped  away  from  the 
main  camp-fire.  In  each  Dutch  oven  was  placed  a 
fair-sized  chunk  of  fat  mutton,  which  was  already 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          145 


izzling  and  spattering  in  the  heat.  Then,  without 
any  attempt  at  kneading,  he  dropped  large  spoonfuls 
of  the  well-mixed  dough  into  the  hot  fat  until  the 
space  was  covered.  Another  oven  was  filled  almost 
as  quickly  as  I  am  telling  the  story,  and  yet  another, 
and  finally  the  fourth.  In  the  meantime  one  of  the 
Mexicans  had  put  the  iron  lid  upon  the  first  oven, 
and  with  a  shovel  had  covered  it  with  hot  ashes.  The 
three  ovens  were  treated  in  like  fashion,  and  then 
the  Doctor  turned  his  attention  to  the  frying-pans, 
in  which  he  quickly  placed  slices  of  ham,  bacon, 
venison  and  mutton-chops,  all  of  which  our  kindly 
host  had  sent  up  from  the  valley  below.  How  deli- 
cious it  smelled  on  that  mountain  height!  A  big 
kettle  of  potatoes  was  also  cooking,  and  two  steaming 
gallon  cans  of  coffee.  For  those  who  did  not  want 
coffee,  there  was  an  equally  large  can  of  cocoa. 

OUR  MOUNTAIN  SUPPER 

Where  were  we  going  to  eat  ?  No  sooner  was  the 
question  asked  than  we  began  to  understand  why 
Dr.  James  had  sent  up  some  of  the  canvas  that  the 
Mexicans  were  going  to  leave  below.  One  large  square 
was  spread  out  a  little  distance  from  the  fire,  and 
yet  near  enough  to  feel  the  warmth,  and  we  girls 
were  put  to  work  to  place  the  cups,  knives,  forks, 
spoons  and  agateware  plates,  which  were  so  deep 
they  looked  like  soup  dishes.  We  had  scarcely  done 
the  work  when  the  Dutch  ovens  were  opened,  the 
lids  being  lifted  off  by  a  long  stick,  and  the  biscuits 
were  found  as  brown  and  delicious  as  they  could  be. 


146  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

These  were  put  down  on  the  canvas  so  that  they  might 
be  within  easy  reach  of  all.  Cans  of  sugar  and  salt 
were  also  placed  on  the  canvas,  with  several  cans  of 
condensed  milk,  in  the  tops  of  which  two  holes  had 
been  thrust,  one  small,  to  let  the  air  in,  and  the  other 
one  a  little  larger,  out  of  which  the  milk  was  to  be 
poured. 

Then  with  a  loud  yell  the  Doctor  called  us  to  take 
our  places.  We  needed  no  second  urging.  With 
frying-pan  in  hand,  he  marched  around  the  canvas, 
followed  by  his  three  Mexican  assistants,  each  with 
a  frying-pan, — one  with  ham,  one  with  bacon,  one 
with  venison,  and  one  with  mutton-chops.  There 
was  no  waiting  to  decide.  We  had  to  decide  quick 
as  a  flash,  or  we  were  passed  by;  and  before  we 
could  consider,  the  four  returned  to  us  again,  one 
with  the  pot  of  potatoes,  the  second  with  the  beans, 
made  delicious  and  savory  with  the  onions,  tomatoes 
and  chili;  while  the  two  others  required  us  to  hold 
up  our  cups  to  be  filled  with  either  coffee  or  cocoa. 
It  was  done  so  quickly  that  we  were  all  served  almost 
before  we  could  think.  And  we  were  scarcely  served 
before  we  set  to  work.  What  a  meal  it  was !  How 
we  ate,  and  joked  each  other  about  our  ferocious 
appetites ;  and  how  we  laughed  and  drank  coffee  and 
cocoa,  and  called  for  more,  and  devoured  those  deli- 
cious biscuits !  The  Doctor  had  no  chance  to  eat,  for 
he  had  to  go  to  work  and  make  up  another  batch, 
they  disappeared  so  speedily ;  but  I  noticed  he  made 
up  for  it  when  he  did  sit  down,  though  he  had  given 
us  a  pretty  serious  talk  about  eating  so  rapidly, 
and  had  urged  us  to  Fletcherize  our  food.  If  he 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES    147 


Fletcherized,  he  did  it,  as  one  of  the  boys  said,  by 
" champing  extra  fast." 

After  supper  a  cry  came  for  volunteers  to  wash 
dishes.  Water  already  was  boiling,  with  a  bucket  of 
cold  water  brought  up  by  one  of  the  Mexicans  from 
a  spring  a  little  lower  down  on  the  mountain.  It  did 
not  take  long  to  "polish  off"  the  work.  As  soon  as 
everything  was  properly  dried,  the  dishes,  etc.  were 
placed  in  clean  sacks  brought  up  for  that  purpose, 
and  put  back  into  the  kyaxes,  to  be  ready  for  break- 
fast; and  then  we  all  rushed  in  different  directions 
to  bring  back  each  one  an  armful  of  wood  for 
the  camp-fire,  or,  in  the  case  of  the  boys,  to  drag- 
trunks  and  branches  as  big  as  they  wrere  able  to 
handle.  We  built  up  a  tremendous  bonfire,  and  by 
this  time  night  was  beginning  to  close  in  rapidly. 
Bringing  up  our  rolls  of  bedding  to  sit  on>  we  now 
surrounded  the  blazing  fire  and  huddled  together 
near  enough  to  hear  the  Navaho  legend  which 
Dr.  James  had  promised  to  give.  First  of  all  he 
gave  us  a  little  history  of  the  Navahoes. 

THE  NAVAHO  INDIANS 

The  Navahoes  are  one  of  the  most  interesting 
Indian  tribes  of  the  Southwest.  Where  they  got  the 
name  Navaho,  it  is  rather  hard  to  tell.  It  is  not  their 
own  name  for  themselves,  and  the  first  time  it  is 
known  to  occur  in  literature  is  after  the  Spaniards 
came,  in  1540,  when  this  tribe  was  called  the  Navaho- 
Apaches.  They  are  regarded  as  a  portion  of  the 
great  Tinneh  family  of  Indians,  who  came  into  this 


148  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

region  from  Alaska;  but  in  the  origin-legend,  part 
of  which  story  I  am  going  to  tell  you,  they  speak 
of  themselves  as  a  cosmopolite  people,  made  up  of 
many  different,  stocks,  even  including  the  great 
Pueblos. 

Their  reservation  is  partially  in  New  Mexico 
and  partially  in  Arizona.  When  the  trains  reach  the 
neighborhood  of  Fort  Wingate,  just  after  descending 
the  Continental  Divide,  the  eastern  border  of  the 
reservation  is  almost  due  north.  It  then  extends 
westward  until  its  western  limit  is  reached,  about  in 
a  line  due  north  from  Flagstaff.  To  the  north  it 
overlaps  the  Hopi  reservation,  which  extends  about 
parallel  with  Holbrook  on  the  east  and  Canyon 
Diablo  on  the  west. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  other  tribe  of  Indians  in 
America  that  is  "holding  its  own"  in  population 
as  is  the  Navaho.  The  census  of  1890  gave  them  a 
population  of  17,204,  but  there  was  some  doubt  cast 
upon  the  accuracy  of  these  figures.  In  round  num- 
bers, it  is  now  generally  believed  there  are  about 
twenty  thousand  of  them. 

As  a  people  they  are  independent,  honest,  truth- 
ful ;  reliable  in  their  dealings  with  the  whites ;  make 
good  husbands  and  fathers;  but  are  warlike,  and 
quick  to  resent  an  injury,  a  slight,  or  what  they 
regard  as  an  unjust  encroachment  upon  their  rights. 
There  is  many  a  white  man,  I  am  satisfied,  who  has 
paid  the  forfeit  with  his  life  in  open,  frank  warfare 
with  a  Navaho  because  he  had  insulted  him  under  the 
common  American  notion  that  he  was  nothing  but  a 
savage. 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 


149 


Their  women  are  wonderful  blanket-weavers, 
and  in  hidden  nooks  of  quiet  canyons,  or  in  the  open, 
by  the  side  of  their  rude  ho-gdns,  may  be  seen,  all 
over  their  reservations,  special  shacks  in  which  they 
have  erected  the  rude  looms,  of  home  manufacture, 
on  which  their  blankets  are  made.  The  older  weaves 


Cop;  ru,'lit  by  George  Wharton  James 

A  NAVAHO  BLANKET  WEAVER 

are  much  prized  by  collectors,  especially  those  that 
were  colored  with  native  dyes.  The  Navaho  women 
formerly  used  only  three  dyes.  These  were  red, 
blue,  and  old  gold  green.  They  got  the  white  and 
black  wool  direct  from  the  sheep,  and  mixed  them 
to  make  gray,  so  that  in  reality  they  had  six  colors. 
Their  designs,  while  primitive,  had  direct  signifi- 


150  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

cance  to  the  weaver,  every  pattern  introduced  being 
a  sign  or  symbol  that  made  the  blanket  the  record  of 
the  weaver's  thought  or  emotion  at  the  time  of 
weaving. 

The  men  are  expert  but  rude  silversmiths,  making 
buckles,  bracelets,  rings,  etc.,  which  are  now  quite 
popular  with  the  whites. 

*The  Navahoes  are  wonderful  story-tellers,  and 
some  of  their  legends  are  quaint,  interesting,  beauti- 
ful and  instructive.  These  four  adjectives  may  seem 
to  be  carelessly  chosen,  but  they  are  not.  They  truth- 
fully designate  these  stories.  Naturally,  when  one 
gets  a  real  peep  into  the  mind  of  the  Indian,  his 
methods  of  thought  are  quaint.  And  in  these  legends 
this  quaintness  is  enhanced  by  the  fact  that  the  stories 
are  old  and  have  all  that  peculiar  flavor  that  belongs 
to  stories  that  have  been  handed  down  for  many 
hundreds  of  years.  And  how  can  the  stories  that 
account  for  their  origin,  which  are  entirely  different 
from  our  origin  stories,  be  other  than  interesting  to 
those  who  like  to  know  how  the  human  mind  works 
with  different  people,  influenced  by  their  own  pecu- 
liar environment?  That  some  parts  of  their  stories 
are  horrible  may  be  expected,  for  they  deal  with  the 
primitive  instincts  of  man,  where  cruelty,  even  to 
murder,  is  no  uncommon  thing,  and  blood  is  made  to 
flow  freely.  But  just  as  the  fierce  thunder  and  light- 
ning storm  is  often  followed  by  the  most  exquisite 
and  tender  sky-effects,  so  are  these  harsh  and  bloody 
stories  preceded  and  followed  by  revelations  of  ex- 

*  This  story  is  taken  from  Dr.  W.  Matthews 's  ' '  Navaho  Legends, ' ' 
published  by  the  Folk-Lore  Society. 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES         151 

quisite  tenderness,  gentleness,  kindness  and  love. 
The  instructiveness  of  these  legends  is  in  the  oppor- 
tunity they  afford  for  the  student  to  see  the  working 
of  the  primitive  mind.  The  human  mind  is  subject 
to  laws  of  development  exactly  as  is  the  body,  and  it 
has  grown  up  from  its  childhood  just  as  each  man  has 
grown  up  from  babyhood.  In  studying  these  Indian 
stories  we  are  getting  back  to  the  period  of  the  child- 
mind  of  the  race,  and  such  revelations  are  found  to  be 
in  the  highest  degree  instructive. 

To  tell  the  whole  story  of  the  origin  of  the 
Navahoes  would  fill  a  good-sized  book.  The  first 
part  of  the  legend  tells  of  the  emergence  of  the  people 
from  the  four  lower  worlds  into  the  fifth  world.  The 
second  part  tells  of  their  experience  in  the  fifth  world. 
The  third  part  tells  of  the  war-gods ;  the  fourth,  of 
the  growth  of  the  Navaho  nation. 

It  is  in  the  third  part  that  we  learn  the  story  of 
Yeitso,  who  was  slain  by  two  heroes  of  the  tribe,  who 
cut  off  his  head  and  placed  it  to  the  east  of  Mount 
San  Mateo,  where  it  is  known  as  Cabezon  and  where 
the  lava  flow  is  regarded  as  the  flow  of  his  blood. 

Soon  after  these  two  boys  were  born,  while  their 
mothers  were  baking  corn-cakes,  Yeitso,  the  tallest 
and  fiercest  of  the  alien  gods  of  the  Navahoes, 
appeared,  walking  rapidly  towards  the  ho-gdn. 
Knowing  that  he  was  a  fierce  cannibal  and  would 
slay  and  eat  their  children,  one  of  the  mothers  hastily 
grabbed  them  up,  earnestly  cautioning  them  to  be 
perfectly  silent,  and  hid  them  away  in  the  bushes, 
under  some  bundles  and  sticks.  Yeitso  came  and 
sat  down  at  the  door  just  as  the  women  were  taking 


152  A  LITTLE  JOUENEY  TO 

the  cakes  out  of  the  ashes.  He  wanted  one  of  the 
cakes,  but  the  women  refused  it.  " Never  mind," 
said  Yeitso,  "I  would  rather  eat  boys.  Where  are 
your  boys?  I  have  been  told  you  have  some  here, 
and  have  come  to  get  them."  Putting  Yeitso  off  as 
well  as  they  could,  they  finally  made  him  believe  that 
there  were  no  boys  around. 

It  was  not  very  long  after  he  had  gone  before 
one  of  the  women,  having  to  go  to  the  top  of  a  nearby 
hill,  saw  a  number  of  these  alien  gods  hastening 
towards  their  hogan  from  all  directions.  Hurrying 
down,  in  great  distress  she  told  her  sister.  This 
sister  had  magical  power,  and,  picking  up  four 
colored  hoops,  she  threw  the  white  one  to  the  east,  the 
blue  one  to  the  south,  the  yellow  one  to  the  west,  and 
the  black  one  to  the  north.  These  magic  hoops  pro- 
duced a  great  gale,  which  blew  so  fiercely  in  all  direc- 
tions from  the  hogan  that  even  the  great  power  of 
the  alien  gods  was  not  sufficient  to  allow  them  to 
approach  it. 

The  two  boys  that  Yeitso  was  hunting  were  little 
fellows  of  superhuman  origin,  and,  having  no  fathers 
as  other  boys  had,  were  curious  to  find  their  fathers, 
and,  in  spite  of  the  prohibitions  of  their  mothers, 
would  keep  journeying  first  in  one  direction  and  then 
in  another,  determined  to  find  their  fathers.  Their 
adventures  were  far  more  peculiar  and  strange  than 
those  related  in  " Alice  in  Wonderland."  Indeed, 
when  it  comes  to  invention,  the  author  of  this  popu- 
lar white  child's  book  is  only  a  beginner  compared 
with  these  expert  Navaho  story-tellers. 

How  I  should  like  to  tell  you  of  their  visit  to  the 


SOME  STEANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES    153 

underworld,  where  they  found  the  "  Spider- Woman." 
She  it  was  who  gave  them  their  magic  charms  and 
taught  them  many  magic  formulae.  One  of  these 
explains  why  the  Navahoes  gather  and  use  so  much 
pollen  in  their  ceremonies.  Pollen,  while  plentiful 
in  the  aggregate,  is  very  light,  airy,  floating  stuff, 
and  exceedingly  difficult  to  gather.  Yet  the  Navaho 
medicine  men  are  indefatigable  in  procuring  certain 
kinds  of  pollen  at  certain  times  of  the  year  when  the 
moon  is  in  certain  exact  locations. 

When  these  boys  met  their  giant  enemies,  all  they 
had  to  do  was  to  sprinkle  towards  them  some  certain 
kind  of  pollen  and  then  repeat  this  formula:  "Put 
your  feet  down  with  pollen.  Put  your  hands  down 
with  pollen.  Put  your  head  down  with  pollen.  Then 
your  feet  are  pollen;  your  hands  are  pollen;  your 
body  is  pollen;  your  mind  is  pollen;  your  voice  is 
pollen.  The  trail  is  beautiful.  Be  still." 

Here  is  one  of  the  incidents  that  occurred  as  the 
twro  boys  left  the  house  of  the  Spider- Woman.  They 
came  to  the  place  known  as  "Tse'yeinti'li"  (the 
rocks  that  crush).  There  was  here  a  narrow  chasm 
between  two  high  cliffs.  When  a  traveller  approached, 
the  rocks  would  open  wide  apart,  apparently  to  give 
him  easy  passage  and  invite  him  to  enter;  but  as 
soon  as  he  was  within  the  cleft  they  would  close  like 
hands  clapping  and  crush  him  to  death.  These  rocks 
were  really  people ;  they  thought  like  men ;  they  were 
anaye  (that  is,  cannibalistic  gods).  When  the  boys 
got  to  the  rocks  they  lifted  their  feet  as  if  about  to 
enter  the  chasm,  and  the  rocks  opened  to  let  them  in. 
Then  the  boys  put  down  their  feet,  but  withdrew 


154  A  LITTLE  JOUBNEY  TO 

them  quickly.  The  rocks  closed  with  a  snap  to  crush 
them,  but  the  boys  remained  safe  on  the  outside. 
Thus  four  times  did  they  deceive  the  rocks.  When 
they  had  closed  for  the  fourth  time,  the  rocks  said: 
"Who  are  ye,  whence  come  ye  two  together,  and 
whither  go  ye?"  "We  are  children  of  the  Sun," 
answered  the  boys.  "We  come  from  Dsilnaotil,  and 
we  go  to  seek  the  house  of  our  father."  Then  they 
repeated  the  words  that  the  Spider- Woman  had 
taught  them,  and  the  rocks  said,  "Pass  on  to  the 
house  of  your  father."  When  next  they  ventured 
to  step  into  the  chasm  the  rocks  did  not  close,  and 
they  passed  safely  on. 

The  boys  kept  on  their  way,  and  soon  came  to  a 
great  plain  covered  with  reeds  that  had  great  leaves 
on  them  as  sharp  as  knives.  When  the  boys  came  to 
the  edge  of  the  field  of  reeds  (Lokaadikisi) ,  the  latter 
opened,  showing  a  clear  passage  through  to  the  other 
side.  The  boys  pretended  to  enter,  but  retreated,  and 
as  they  did  so  the  walls  of  reeds  rushed  together  to 
kill  them.  Thus  four  times  did  they  deceive  the  reeds. 
Then  the  reeds  spoke  to  them  as  the  rocks  had  done ; 
they  answered  and  repeated  the  sacred  words.  "Pass 
on  to  the  house  of  your  father,"  said  the -reeds,  and 
the  boys  passed  on  in  safety. 

The  next  danger  they  encountered  was  in  the 
country  covered  with  cane  cactuses.  These  cactuses 
rushed  at  and  tore  to  pieces  whoever  attempted  to 
pass  through  them.  When  the  boys  came  to  the  cac- 
tuses the  latter  opened  their  ranks  to  let  the  travellers 
pass  on,  as  the  reeds  had  done  before.  But  the  boys 
deceived  them  as  they  had  deceived  the  reeds,  and 


SOME  STEA^GE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          155 

subdued  them  as  they  had  subdued  the  reeds,  and 
passed  on  in  safety. 

After  they  had  passed  the  country  of  the  cactus 
they  came,  in  time,  to  S  ait  ad,  the  land  of  the  rising 
sands.  Here  was  a  great  desert  of  sands  that  rose 
and  whirled  and  boiled  like  water  in  a  pot,  and  over- 
whelmed the  traveller  who  ventured  among  them. 
As  the  boys  approached,  the  sands  became  still  more 
agitated,  and  the  boys  did  not  dare  venture  among 
them.  "Who  are  ye?"  said  the  sands,  "and  whence 
come  ye?"  "We  are  children  of  the  Sun,  we  came 
from  Dsilnaotil,  and  we  go  to  seek  the  house  of  our 
father."  These  words  were  four  times  said.  Then 
the  elder  of  the  boys  repeated  his  sacred  formula; 
the  sands  subsided,  saying,  "Pass  on  to  the  house  of 
your  father."  and  the  boys  continued  on  their  journey 
over  the  desert  of  sands. 

The  boys  finally  reached  the  house  of  the  Sun  God, 
their  father.  It  was  built  of  turquoise,  but  square 
like  a  pueblo  house,  and  stood  on  the  shore  of  a  "great 
water."  Here  they  were  in  much  danger  and  would 
undoubtedly  have  perished  had  it  not  been  that  they 
were  magically  protected.  For  in  a  short  time  the 
giant  who  bore  the  Sun  on  his  shoulder  came  in. 
He  took  the  Sun  off  his  back  and  hung  it  on  a  peg 
on  the  west  wall  of  the  room,  where  it  shook  and 
clanged  for  some  time,  going  "tla,  tla,  tla,  tla,"  till 
at  last  it  hung  still.  It  took  some  time  for  the  bearer 
of  the  Sun  God  to  realize  that  he  was  the  father  of 
these  boys,  but  when  he  did  he  greeted  them  with 
great  affection  and  asked  them  their  mission.  They 
explained  that  the  land  in  which  they  dwelt  was 


156  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

cursed  and  devastated  by  the  presence  of  a  number 
of  alien  gods  who  devoured  their  people.  Said  they : 
"They  have  eaten  nearly  all  of  our  kine;  there  are 
few  left;  already  they  have  sought  our  lives,  and 
we  have  run  away  to  escape  them.  Give  us,  we  beg, 
the  weapons  with  which  we  may  slay  our  enemies. 
Help  us  to  destroy  them."  This  petition  pleased  the 
bearer  of  the  Sun  God  and  he  gave  them  clothing 
and  a  number  of  weapons  which  would  enable  them 
to  accomplish  what  they  desired.  He  took  from  the 
pegs  where  they  hung  around  the  room  and  gave  to 
each  a  hat,  a  shirt,  leggings,  moccasins,  all  made 
of  iron;  a  chain-lightning  arrow,  a  sheet-lightning 
arrow,  a  sunbeam  arrow,  a  rainbow  arrow,  and  a 
great  stone-knife  or  knife-club.  "These  are  what 
we  want,"  said  the  boys.  They  put  on  the  clothes 
of  iron,  and  streaks  of  lightning  shot  from  every 
joint. 

After  more  trials  of  their  shrewdness  and  powers 
of  perception,  during  which  time  the  Sun  God  car- 
ried them  through  the  heavens,  he,  finally,  after 
making  them  point  out  the  place  where  they  lived, 
spread  out  a  streak  of  lightning  on  which  he  shot 
down  his  children  to  the  summit  of  Mount  San  Mateo. 
Here  four  holy  people  told  them  all  about  Yeitso. 
They  said  that  he  showed  himself  every  day  three 
times  on  the  mountains  before  he  came  down,  and 
when  he  showed  himself  for  the  fourth  time  he 
descended  from  the  mountain  to  drink;  that,  when 
he  stooped  down  to  drink,  one  hand  rested  on  the 
mountain  and  the  other  on  the  high  hills  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  valley,  while  his  feet  stretched  as 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          157 

far  away  as  a  man  could  walk  between  sunrise  and 
noon.  This  was  the  opportunity  the  boys  wanted. 
While  waiting,  however,  they  decided  to  try  one  of 
the  lightning  arrows  which  their  father  had  given 
them.  When  they  shot  it,  it  made  a  great  cleft  in 
the  side  of  Mount  San  Mateo,  where  it  remains  to 
this  day,  and  one  of  the  brothers  said  to  the  other: 
"We  cannot  suffer  in  combat  while  we  have  such 
weapons  as  these." 

Soon  they  heard  the  sounds  of  thunderous  foot- 
steps, and  they  beheld  the  head  of  Yeitso  peering 
over  a  high  hill  in  the  east.  It  was  withdrawn  in  a 
moment.  Soon  after,  the  monster  raised  his  head 
and  chest  over  a  hill  in  the  south,  and  remained  a 
little  longer  in  sight  than  when  he  was  in  the  east. 
Later  he  displayed  his  body  to  the  wraist  over  a  hill 
in  the  west;  and  lastly  he  showed  himself  down  to 
the  knees  over  a  mountain  in  the  north.  Then  he 
descended,  came  to  the  edge  of  the  lake,  and  laid 
down  a  basket  which  he  was  accustomed  to  carry. 
He  stooped  down  to  drink,  and  so  frightful  was  his 
appearance  that  it  made  the  boys  afraid;  but  by 
and  by  their  courage  came  back  and  they  taunted 
the  giant  when  he  made  a  threat  that  he  was  going 
to  eat  them.  The  Wind  (who  in  Navaho  mythology 
is  a  personification),  in  his  kindness  towards  the 
boys,  gave  them  warning  as  to  the  treacherous  acts 
contemplated  by  Yeitso,  and  made  it  possible  for 
them  to  dodge  the  lightning  bolts  that  he  rapidly 
hurled  at  them  one  after  another.  Escaping  the 
giant's  arrows,  the  brothers  had  time  to  put  their 
own  lightning  arrows  into  place,  pull  the  bow-string 


158  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO' 

taut,  and  fire.  Four  times  did  the  elder  brother 
shoot,  and  when  the  fourth  arrow  struck  the  giant 
it  brought  him  to  the  ground,  flat  upon  his  face,  his 
arms  and  legs  outstretched.  As  he  lay  there,  the 
younger  brother  stepped  up  and  scalped  him,  and 
then  they  cut  off  his  head  and  threw  it  away  where 
it  may  be  seen  to  this  day. 

The  blood  from  the  body  flowed  in  a  great 
stream  down  the  valley,  and  the  boys  stood  watching 
it,  with  no  thought  of  danger  until  their  friend, 
Wind,  told  them  that  it  was  flowing  in  the  direction 
of  the  home  of  another  alien  god  and  that  if  it 
reached  that  far  Yeitso  would  come  to  life  again. 
Then  the  elder  brother  took  his  great  stone-knife, 
which  had  magic  power,  and  drew  a  line  with  it 
across  the  valley.  When  the  blood  reached  this  line 
it  piled  itself  high  until  it  began  to  flow  in  another 
direction.  Here  again  was  danger,  for  Wind  whis- 
pered that  it  was  flowing  towards  the  home  of  another 
alien  god  known  as  'Bear  that  Pursues,'  and  that  if 
it  reached  this  far,  Yeitso  would  come  to  life  again. 
Again  the  elder  brother  drew  a  line  with  his  knife 
on  the  ground,  and  again  the  blood  piled  up  and 
stopped  flowing;  and  that  is  the  reason  the  blood 
of  Yeitso  fills  all  the  valley  today,  the  high  cliffs 
of  black  rocks  that  you  see  being  the  places  where 
the  blood  piled  up  after  the  elder  brother  had  drawn 
the  line  with  his  magic  knife." 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          159 
SLEEPING  ON  THE  MOUNTAIN  TOP 

As  soon  as  the  story  was  finished,  Mrs.  Young 
thought  it  was  time  for  us  to  go  to  bed.    It  is  amazing 
how  easily  things  are  done  when  you  know  how  to  do 
them.    Everything  had  been  planned  so  that  not  less 
than  ten  minutes  after  we  arose  from  the  camp-fire 
the  boys  had  carried  the  blankets  for  us  girls  out  to 
one  side  on  the  mountain,  where  we  were  fairly  well 
secluded,  and  they  had  taken  their  own  to  the  other 
side.      Near  to  us  Professor  and  Mrs.  Young  had 
placed  their  blankets  so  that  we  felt  in  a  measure 
protected,  and  the  Mexicans  went  down  on  the  moun- 
tainside a  little  way  to  where  the  horses  were  tied, 
and  it  seemed  to  us  that  they  acted  as  a  kind  of  picket- 
guard  to  protect  us  from  surprise.    We  did  not  know 
whether  to  undress  or  not,  and  it  is  hard  to  tell 
whether  we  all  undressed  or  only  partially  undressed. 
I  began  by  taking  off  very  little  of  my  clothing,  but 
I  found  as  the  night  went  on  I  took  off  more.    At 
first  it  was  too  wonderful  to  sleep.    The  stars  were 
so   beautiful,  the   air   so  delicious,    the  feeling   so 
mysterious.    What  a  wonderful  change  it  was  from 
the  city  of  Chicago.    To  think  that  I,  a  girl  born  in 
a  large  city  and  who  had  never  been  far  away  from 
home,  was  stretched  out  here  in  the  open,  in  a  country 
surrounded  by  Indians  and  on  the  summit  of  a  moun- 
tain over  11,000  feet  high.     Several  times  I  had  to 
pinch  myself  to  be  sure  I  was  not  dreaming. 

I  do  not  know  when  I  got  to  sleep  for  I  seemed  to 
lie  awake  a  long  time  and  I  remember  that  before  I 
dozed  off  I  half  consciously  observed  a  tremendous 


160  A  LITTLE  JOUKNEY  TO 

black  cloud  floating  towards  us  from  the  south.  But 
I  was  too  sleepy  to  pay  much  attention  to  it.  All  at 
once  I  was  awakened  by  the  patter  of  rain  dropping 
on  my  face  and  by  the  voice  of  some  one  shouting. 
I  think  we  all  must  have  awakened  at  the  same  time. 
Dr.  James  was  running  about  like  one  possessed. 
Again  we  saw  why  he  had  brought  the  canvas.  One 
of  these  was  large  enough  to  cover  us  four  girls  and 
almost  as  soon  as  the  rain  had  begun  to  descend  we 
were  completely  sheltered  under  one  of  these  thought- 
fully provided  sheets.  Professor  and  Mrs.  Young 
had  one,  but  the  boys  got  wet.  It  happened  in  this 
way.  Instead  of  snuggling  up  together,  they  had 
decided  to  sleep  where  each  one  fancied  and  the  result 
was  they  were  somewhat  scattered  when  the  rain 
came.  In  order  to  avail  themselves  of  the  one  canvas, 
they  had  to  get  up  and  pull  their  blankets  together, 
and  while  they  were  doing  this  they  got  wet.  But  it 
did  not  seem  to  hurt  them,  for  they  were  soon  off  to 
sleep  again  and  paid  no  more  attention  to  the  rain 
than  if  it  had  not  come  at  all.  We  girls  did  not  sleep 
much  more  that  night,  at  least  I  didn't  think  so, 
although  Mrs.  Young  assures  us  that  she  heard  some 
snoring  from  our  blankets  after  the  rain  had  ceased. 
But  while  it  lasted  how  it  did  pour !  I  began  to 
feel  queer  about  those  ~bahos  I  had  stolen  and  when  I 
did  drop  off  into  a  little  snooze,  it  was  to  dream  about 
fierce  Indians  coming  to  punish  us  for  taking  them, 
and  in  the  dim  distance  I  could  see  the  blood  pouring 
from  the  headless  body  of  Yeitso  and  coagulating  in 
the  valley  beneath,  while  his  head  grinned  at  me  from 
El  Cabazon. 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          161 

We  were  a  little  damp  in  the  morning,  but  as  the 
rain  had  stopped  and  the  skies  were  clear  and  we 
did  not  get  up  until  a  good  hot  breakfast  was  pre- 
pared, similar  to  our  supper  of  the  night  before,  we 
felt  as  fresh  as  larks  and  happy  as  could  be.  We  were 
in  no  hurry  to  start  back,  so  we  all  went  botanizing 
and  gathered  a  number  of  interesting  and  beautiful 
flowers. 

It  was  fun  going  down  the  mountain  side,  for  in 
some  places  the  trail  was  very  steep  and  the  rain 
had  made  everything  so  slippery  that  it  seemed  to 
us  as  if  our  horses  just  about  sat  down  and  slid  for 
as  much  as  twenty  or  thirty  yards  at  a  time.  But  we 
reached  the  home  of  our  hospitable  host  at  San  Mateo 
without  either  accident  or  mishap,  after  the  most 
wonderful  and  interesting  trip  that  I  had  ever  en- 
joyed. 

TO  SAN  RAFAEL 

On  our  return  to  Grants,  we  were  driven  out  three 
miles  to  the  quaintly  interesting  town  of  San  Rafael. 
On  our  way  we  passed  several  piles  of  stone  upon 
which  were  placed  crosses  each  bearing  a  rude  in- 
scription. We  were  told  that  these  were  spots  where 
the  coffin  had  rested  of  some  one  being  conveyed  to 
the  burying-place,  and  that  at  each  place  where  the 
bearers  rested  it  was  the  custom  to  place  these  crosses. 
There  were  not  many  things  at  San  Rafael  that  were 
different  from  San  Mateo,  but  one  thing  interested 
us  very  much.  We  passed  a  large  clump  of  entrana, 
or  candlestick  cactus,  as  the  Americans  call  it,  one 
of  the  most  cruel  and  thorny  of  the  cactus  family. 


162  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

At  San  Rafael,  we  met  a  number  of  the  penitente 
brothers,  and  the  missionary  there  told  us  that  he  and 
Dr.  James  together  had  seen  a  half  dozen  of  these 
men  take  large  bundles  of  these  thorn  covered  cac- 
tuses and  tie  them  upon  their  naked  backs.  They  had 
seen  these  same  men  lie  down,  pressing  their  whole 
bodies  upon  the  cruel  thorns  which  penetrated  and 
lacerated  their  bodies  dreadfully.  The  penitentes  of 
San  Rafael  make  it  their  boast  and  glory  that  so 
many  of  them  thus  punish  themselves  with  the  cruel 
entrana. 

RIVERS  OF  LAVA 

We  stayed  that  night  at  San  Rafael  and  the  next 
day  drove  through  and  over  a  remarkable  lava-flow. 
It  was  a  most  picturesque  ride  in  and  out  of  mountain 
valleys  where  tall  pines  grow  in  stately  majesty.  We 
were  told  that  this  whole  Zuni  mountain  range  is 
covered  with  ruins  of  a  long-forgotten  people,  who 
were  undoubtedly  driven  out  of  the  country,  not  by 
famine,  not  by  pestilence,  not  by  the  power  of 
enemies,  but  by  the  overflows  of  lava  which  came  in 
resistless  floods  from  different  peaks  of  the  range. 

Certainly  the  appearance  of  the  country  indicates 
tremendous  volcanic  activity,  but  it  is  hard  to  realize 
that  people  could  have  been  living  here  and  were 
driven  from  their  homes  when  these  awful  demon- 
strations of  nature's  power  occurred.  Of  course  we 
recalled  the  recent  outbreak  of  Mount  Pelee  and  the 
disturbances  of  California  and  Italy,  yet  in  spite  of 
these  facts  and  our  historic  readings  about  the  de- 
struction of  Herculaneum  and  Pompeii,  it  seemed 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          163 

impossible  that  we  were  actually  in  a  region  where 
people  were  driven  from  their  homes  by  positive,  real, 
actual  flows  of  red-hot  molten  rock  poured  out  from 
the  interior  of  the  earth.  We  are  told  that  there  are 
even  Indian  houses  in  this  part  of  the  country  into 
which  the  lava  has  flowed,  clearly  indicating  that  the 
Indians  must  have  been  living  here  when  the  out- 
burst occurred,  but  Dr.  James  says  that  though  he 
has  hunted  for  these  houses  he  has  never  been  able 
to  find  one  of  them. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  he  took  us  to  two  level  mesas 
on  the  top  of  which  were  a  vast  number  of  ruins, 
clearly  showing  that  at  one  time  there  must  have 
been  at  each  place  a  village  of  some  hundreds  of 
inhabitants. 

The  wall  of  one  of  these  places  was  made  of  red 
sandstone  that  the  Indians  had  found  in  this  neigh- 
borhood, and  which  they  had  hammered  or  dressed, 
for  the  marks  of  the  hammer  were  still  clearly  to  be 
seen.  We  are  told  that  dressed  stone  is  very  seldom 
found  among  any  of  these  ruins. 

The  boys  wanted  to  dig  into  these  ruins,  and  there 
is  no  doubt  they  would  have  found  many  interesting 
things  had  they  done  so,  as  they  are  both  large  and 
extensive  and  as  yet  have  never  been  made  the  scene 
of  either  the  scientific  explorer  or  the  treasure- 
hunter. 

We  now  went  up  to  the  spring  known  as  Agua 
Fria,  (the  cold  water).  And  how  cold  and  delicious 
it  was.  We  became  pretty  well  used  to  all  kinds  of 
water  in  New  Mexico,  some  of  it  very  brackish  and 
unpleasant,  and  a  great  deal  of  it  positively  horrible 


164  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

with  alkali  and  other  minerals,  but  this  was  as  fresh, 
sweet  and  delicious  as  any  water  we  ever  tasted. 

Here  we  camped  for  the  night,  as  we  were  in  the 
midst  of  a  beautiful  pine  forest  and  it  was  decided 
that  we  should  see  the  big  crater  we  had  come  up  to 
examine,  early  the  next  morning. 

AGUA  FRIA  CRATER 

There  are  scores  of  these  craters  in  the  Zuni 
Range,  and  the  lava  which  has  flowed  from  them  has 
overrun  the  country  for  many  scores  of  square  miles. 
Here,  as  in  the  region  of  Mount  San  Mateo,  even  our 
untrained  eyes  could  clearly  see  there  had  been  sev- 
eral different  flows  at  different  periods.  For  in- 
stance, we  saw  great  groves  of  pine  trees  from  150  to 
250  feet  high  naturally  growing  out  of  these  ancient 
lava  flows.  Then  zigzagging  over  these  were  later 
flows  which  had  clearly  destroyed  the  trees  that  stood 
in  their  path.  Coming  up  the  Zuni  Canyon,  places 
had  been  pointed  out  to  us  where  not  only  the  lava 
poured  down  from  the  heights  above  in  its  fiery  flood, 
but  in  places  it  really  appeared  as  if  it  had  forced  its 
way  out  from  its  seething  source  in  the  bowels  of  the 
earth  directly  under  the  sandstone  rocks  of  which  the 
sides  of  the  canyon  were  formed. 

Immediately  after  breakfast,  we  started  out  for 
the  great  Agua  Pria  crater.  The  trees  have  so  com- 
pletely surrounded  it  and  even  struggled  up  its  sides, 
that  one  can  scarcely  see  it  until  he  gets  very  near  to 
it.  Though  one  side  of  it  is  steep  and  made  up  of 
such  small  disintegrated  particles  of  lava  that  the 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          165 

ascent  on  that  side  is  almost  hopeless,  we  found  the 
other  side  a  comparatively  easy  slope,  and  while  hard, 
the  climb  was  neither  exhausting  nor  dangerous. 

It  was  certainly  a  wonderful  sight  when  we  stood 
at  last  on  the  top  of  this  gigantic  bowl.  It  took  us 
some  little  time  to  take  in  its  majestic  proportions. 
We  were  standing  on  "the  edge  of  nothing."  The 
solid  rock  made  a  sheer  drop  immediately  before  us 
into  the  dizzying  abyss  and  while  we  could  see  the 
bottom,  an  immense  tree  was  growing  there  which 
added  to  the  dimness  and  mystery.  Nearly  opposite 
from  where  we  stood,  the  whole  side  of  the  crater  had 
been  broken  down  about  three-fourths  of  its  height. 
And  we  tried  to  picture  what  must  have  occurred 
when  that  break  was  made.  We  had  no  means  of 
measuring  the  exact  size  of  the  crater,  but  we 
estimated  it  must  have  been  from  1,500  to  2,000  feet 
across  and  at  least  700  or  800  feet  deep. 

Did  you  ever  look  into  one  of  the  furnaces  in 
South  Chicago  where  they  were  converting  iron  into 
steel  and  see  the  incandescent  mass  bubbling  and 
seething  under  the  intense  heat  ?  Something  like  this 
the  great  mass  of  lava  in  the  crater  must  have  been 
when  it  burst  out  on  the  other  side.  We  talk  and 
write  about  it,  but  it  is  impossible  to  conceive  this 
immense  natural  kettle  full  of  rock,  boiling  and 
bubbling  like  water,  but  sending  its  fierce  heat  and 
poisonous  fumes  into  the  surrounding  air.  Then,  all 
at  once,  with  a  sudden  crash  and  muffled  roar,  the 
great  wall  on  the  north  breaks  and  out  pours  the  wild, 
raging  flood  with  its  fierce  heat  to  spread  out  over  the 
valley.  Once  started,  it  did  not  stop  for  days,  for 


166  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

one  can  follow  this  stream  for  many  miles,  and  it 
spread  out  taking  desolation  wherever  it  went.  If 
one  could  have  been  in  a  safe  place  and  watched  it, 
it  must  have  been  an  awe-inspiring  sight — the  flood  of 
fire,  nearly  500  feet  high  when  it  first  burst  forth, 
sweeping  away  and  burning  everything  that  came  in 
its  track.  And  a  peculiar  thing  about  these  lava- 
flows  is  that  the  outside  cools  very  rapidly  and  solidi- 
fies, while  the  material  in  the  interior  still  remains 
molten  and  pours  on,  so  here  one  would  have  had  a 
strange  spectacle  of  seeing  the  cooling  lava  make  its 
own  arched-over  tunnel  through  which  the  molten 
current  flowed.  These  tunnels  became  filled  with  gas 
made  by  the  melting  rocks,  and  sometimes  were 
swelled  out  into  large  caves.  We  found  numbers  of 
such  caves,  near  Laguna,  San  Mateo,  here  at  Agua 
Fria,  and  near  the  San  Francisco  mountains.  Some- 
times the  half  molten  rock  would  be  turned  over  by 
the  force  of  the  expanding  gas  until  it  seemed  as  if  a 
gigantic  plowshare,  able  to  turn  a  furrow  forty  feet 
high,  had  come  along  plowing  up  the  rock  when  it  was 
in  a  plastic  state  in  this  gigantic  fashion.  Again  in 
places  the  gas  must  have  exploded  and  scattered  the 
rocks  as  it  did  so,  so  that  it  looks  today  like  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  huge  masses  of  diabolical  black 
cauliflowers. 

Dr.  James  says  that  he  has  spent  many  days  fol- 
lowing these  lava-flows,  and  when  he  has  tried  to 
walk  over  these  blown-up  masses  his  shoes  have  been 
cut  to  pieces  in  a  very  few  hours.  He  says  that  he 
has  wandered  over  the  famous  lava-flows  in  the  south 
of  France,  but  neither  in  extent,  grandeur  nor  diver- 


SOME  STKANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          167 

sity  do  they  begin  to  compare  with  the  lava-flows  of 
New  Mexico  and  Arizona.  Certainly  they  must  be 
very  wonderful  if  they  are  equal  to  even  the  small 
glimpses  we  had  of  the  flows  at  San  Mateo  and  here 
in  the  Zuni  mountains. 

It  was  a  pleasant  trip  back  to  Grants,  and  there, 
after  another  night  of  camping  out,  we  were  met  by 
a  delightful  Mexican  gentleman,  Don  Leopoldo 
Mazon,  with  teams  with  which  he  was  to  drive  us  to 
one  of  the  places  we  had  long  dreamed  of,  but  never 
expected  to  see.  We  were  actually  on  our  way  to  see 
that  most  marvelous  autograph  album  of  history, 
known  as  Inscription  Rock,  and  then  were  going  on 
to  Zuni,  where  the  big  community  house  is,  and  where 
they  believe  in  witches  and  hang  them,  even  up  to 
the  present  day. 

Don  Mazon 's  carriage  and  spring  wagons  were 
all  right,  but  his  horses  were  broncos  of  intractable 
and  unbroken  spirit.  They  had  wills  of  their  own 
which  they  were  not  afraid  of  showing,  and  it  was 
most  amusing  to  see  and  hear  the  performances  and 
antics  of  the  broncos  and  the  expostulations  and 
arguments  of  the  drivers.  While  we  were  getting 
into  the  wagon  the  animals  danced  around  in  a  frenzy 
of  excitement  and  fear,  and  it  took  a  man  at  the 
head  of  each  horse  to  keep  them  from  running  away. 
When  we  started  they  jumped  and  plunged  and 
reared  and  cavorted  and  pushed  sideways  and  hit 
against  each  other  in  the  most  frantic  manner.  Don 
Leopoldo  seemed  to  be  used  to  it,  and  talked  gently 
and  made  soothing  noises  with  his  lips  while  he  let 
the  lines  out  at  arm's  length.  It  really  was  very, 


168  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

very  funny,  although  when  they  were  running,  as 
they  did  at  times,  in  places  where  the  road  was 
sidling,  it  seemed  as  if  we  should  surely  upset. 
Looking  back,  I  saw  that  the  driver  behind  us  was 
having  even  a  worse  time  than  we,  for  accompanying 
that  wagon  were  two  outriders  in  the  shape  of  Mexi- 
can cowboys,  each  of  whom  had  a  reata  in  his  hand, 
with  which  now  and  again  he  would  "lambast"  the 
rearing  and  plunging  broncos.  At  last  one  of  these 
animals  began  to  balk  and  settle  down  with  a  back- 
ward plunge  and  a  desperate  shake  of  the  head,  as 
much  as  to  say  that  no  power  on  earth  should  move 
him  forward  another  inch;  but  the  poor  creature 
soon  learned  his  mistake.  Lightly  throwing  their 
lassoes  over  the  head  of  the  obstinate  creature,  the 
cowboys  coolly  and  deliberately  wound  the  other 
ends  of  the  strong  rawhide  ropes  around  the  horns 
of  their  saddles,  and  then,  when  the  ropes  were  fairly 
taut  and  the  driver  was  ready,  he  gave  the  signal 
and  the  two  horsemen  quickly  urged  on  their  horses. 
The  recalcitrant  bronco  with  the  backward  tendency 
was  immediately  hauled  forward  with  a  strain  on  his 
neck  that  must  have  been  as  painful  as  it  was  sur- 
prising. At  the  same  time  we  could  not  help  laughing 
at  the  peculiar  demeanor  of  the  bronco.  A  few 
moments  before  he  had  settled  back  as  if  nothing  on 
earth  could  move  him,  but  now  he  seemed  determined 
to  pull  with  a  fury  that  would  have  destroyed  the 
wagon  could  he  have  had  his  way. 

And  this,  we  are  told,  is  the  way  some  of  the 
Mexicans  break  their  horses  to  drive.  They  are  all 
trained  to  the  saddle  with  comparatively  little  dim- 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 


169 


culty,  for  so  many  of  them  are  needed  to  follow  the 
range  cattle;  but  nobody  seems  either  to  know  or 
care  anything  about  the  proper  breaking  for  driving 
purposes.  Consequently,  when  it  is  necessary  to  use 
a  conveyance  there  are  no  properly  trained  animals, 


A  CORNER  OF  DON  LEOPOLDO  MAZON'S   HOUSE   WITH  EL  MORO  IN 

THE  DISTANCE 


but  some  of  the  saddle-animals  are  harnessed  and  in 
this  summary  fashion  are  compelled,  willy-nilly,  to 
become  staid  and  dignified  carriage  horses. 

We  stayed  all  night  at  Las  Tina j  as,  Don  Leo- 
poldo's  hospitable  home,  so  named  because  near  by 
there  are  several  natural  bowls  of  water. 


170  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

INSCRIPTION  ROCK 

THP,  next  morning  we  rode  the  four  miles  over  to 
Inscription  Rock,  about  which  and  its  wonderful 
inscriptions  we  had  heard  a  great  deal.  They  were 
made  by  the  old  Spanish  soldiers  who  wandered  over 
this  desert  from  Zuni  to  Acoma,  and  Acoma  to 
Santa  Fe,  as  far  back  as  in  the  early  "  sixteen  hun- 
dreds," or  nearly  three  hundred  years  ago. 

Of  the  genuineness  and  historic  value  of  these 
inscriptions  there  can  be  no  question.  Too  many 
scholars  and  those  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
history  of  the  Southwest  have  seen  and  studied  them. 
In  Lieutenant  Simpson's  report  to  the  Secretary  of 
War  on  his  trip  through  the  Navaho  country,  in  1849, 
he  gives  a  graphic  and  very  complete  description  of 
the  rock,  and  accompanies  his  report  with  a  number 
of  drawings  from  the  inscriptions,  made  by  his  artist, 
Mr.  R.  H.  Kern.  Kern  was  the  artist  who  accom- 
panied General  Fremont  on  one  of  his  California 
expeditions,  and  from  him  the  Kern  River  was 
named. 

The  whole  region  is  one  of  mesas,  faced  with 
precipitous  cliffs  and  topped  with  caps  of  lava.  But 
here,  between  two  canyons,  the  sides  of  which  are 
dotted  with  juniper  and  pinion,  stands  a  massive 
triangular  block  of  sandstone  of  pearly  whitish 
aspect,  over  two  hundred  feet  high,  and  suggesting 
in  its  stupendous  grandeur  a  temple  or  castle  built 
after  the  style  of  the  Egyptians,  but  immeasurably 
larger.  The  walls  are  seamed  and  marked  with 
storms  and  conflicts  of  many  centuries,  and  the  main 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 


171 


wall  is  so  precipitous,  and  its  summit  carved  by 
nature  into  so  close  a  resemblance  to  an  embattle- 
ment,  that  the  Mexicans  have  always  termed  it 
El  Moro  (The  Rock),  on  account  of  its  castle-like 
appearance.  On  two  sides  of  the  rock  are  the  inscrip- 
tions found,  and  as  they  were  all  engraved  by  men 
standing  at  the  base  of  the  rock,  very  few  of  them 
are  higher  than  a  man's  head.  The  perfection  of  the 


)U 


INSCRIPTIONS    ON    NORTH    FACE    OF   INSCRIPTION    ROCK 


inscriptions  is  remarkable.  They  are  as  distinctive 
in  their  character  as  the  handwritings  of  men  on 
paper,  and  all  of  them  are  remarkably  well  done. 
The  surprising  thing  is  that  after  all  these  years 
they  are  still  so  perfect;  but  this  is  accounted  for 
by  the  peculiar  character  of  the  rock  and  the  fact 
that  it  does  not  crumble  when  exposed  to  the  weather. 
It  is  of  a  very  fine  grain  and  comparatively  easy  to 


172  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

scratch  into,  and  the  two  walls  upon  which  the 
inscriptions  occur  being  practically  protected  from 
storms,  these  rock  autographs  remain  almost  as  clear 
and  as  perfect  as  the  day  they  were  written.  That 


EL  MORO  INSCRIPTION  ROCK 


of  Lieutenant  Simpson  seems  as  if  made  but  yester- 
day. It  was  neatly  done  in  a  parallelogram  by  Mr. 
Kern,  and  reads  as  follows:  "Lt.  J.  H.  Simpson, 
U.S.A.,  and  R.  H.  Kern,  artist,  visited  and  copied 
these  inscriptions,  September  17th,  1849." 

The  major  part  of  the  inscriptions  are  on  the 


SOME  STEAXGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES    173 

north  face  of  the  rock — a  very  striking  one  being 
that  of  Bishop  Elizaecochea,  of  Durango,  Mexico. 
Here  is  the  inscription  as  copied  by  Mr.  Kern.  Its 
translation  is  as  follows:  "On  the  28th  day  of  Sep- 
tember of  1737,  reached  here  the  most  illustrious 
Senor  Doctor  Don  Martin  De  Elizaecochea,  Bishop 
of  Durango,  and  on  the  29th  day  passed  on  to  Zuni." 
This  refers  to  one  of  the  official  visits  made  by  the 
Bishop  of  Durango,  in  whose  district  the  whole  of 
New  Mexico  belonged,  and  to  which  it  remained 
attached  until  1852. 

Just  above  that  of  the  Bishop  and  slightly  to  the 
left  are  two  other  autographs,  doubtless  of  members 
of  his  party.  Between  them  is  a  fairly  well  engraved 
representation  of  an  ornamented  cross.  The  larger 
inscription  reads  as  follows:  "On  the  28th  day  of 
September,  1737,  reached  here  *B'  [supposed  to 
represent  Bachiller — Bachelor — of  Arts]  Don  Juan 
Ygnacio  De  Arrasain";  and  the  other  merely  says, 
"There  passed  by  here  Dyego  Belagus." 

There  are  many  inscriptions  of  great  interest, 
especially  when  you  know  the  stories  of  their  makers. 
These  were  told  to  us  by  Professor  Young  and  Dr. 
James,  and  they  included  De  Silva  Nieto,  a  former 
Governor  of  New  Mexico  (1629),  General  Juan  Paez 
Hurtado  (1736),  Juan  de  Onate  (1605),  Basconzelos 
(1726),  De  Vargas,  the  reconqueror  of  New  Mexico 
(1692),  Arechuleta  (1636),  and  many  others. 

One  of  the  inscriptions  reproduced  by  Kern  is 
shown  on  page  171. 

It  is  quite  a  puzzling  inscription,  the  peculiar 
abbreviations  being  decipherable  only  by  those 


174  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

familiar  with  the  ancient  Spanish  writings.  Trans- 
lated into  long-hand  Spanish  and  then  into  English, 
it  reads  as  follows:  "They  passed  on  the  23d  of 
March  of  the  year  1632  to  the  avenging  of  the  death 
of  the  Father  Letrado."  Father  Letrado  was  the 
missionary  who  practically  established  the  Fran- 
ciscan mission  at  Zuni.  He  had  already  proved  his 
faithfulness  by  service  among  the  Jumanos,  a  wild 
tribe  of  Indians  who  occupied  the  plains  east  of  the 
Rio  Grande.  He  did  not  labor  long  with  the  Zunis, 
for  in  February,  1630,  they  murdered  him.  The 
Governor,  Francisco  de  la  Mora  Ceballos,  sent  a 
handful  of  soldiers  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
Tomas  de  Albizu  to  avenge  the  death  of  Father 
Letrado,  and  it  is  possible  that  Lujan  was  a  soldier 
on  this  expedition.  When  the  soldiers  arrived  at 
Zuni  they  found  that  the  pueblo  was  deserted  and 
the  people  had  retired  to  the  summit  of  Thunder 
mountain.  With  great  tact  and  diplomacy  Albizu 
persuaded  them  to  return  to  their  homes,  and,  on 
promises  of  amendment,  the  breach  caused  by  Father 
Letrado 's  murder  was  healed. 

But  however  interesting  the  inscriptions  are  at 
El  Moro,  they  are  by  no  means  the  only  objects  to 
attract  our  attention.  Walking  along  the  east  wall 
for  several  hundred  yards,  one  finds  it  possible  to 
scale  the  rugged  slope  that  leads  to  the  top  of  El  Moro. 
Here,  to  our  surprise,  we  find  that  it  is  practically 
split  in  half  by  a  narrow  canyon,  in  the  center  of 
which  grows  a  tall  pine.  This  canyon  seems  literally 
scooped  out  of  the  solid  rock,  for  from  the  point 
where  we  have  been  examining  and  copying  the 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES    175 

inscriptions  there  is  nothing  whatever  to  indicate 
its  existence.  It  is  a  perfect  cul  de  sac.  A  whole 
army  might  hide  here,  and  if  they  observed  a  discreet 
silence,  another  hostile  army  could  occupy  the  north 
and  south  sides  of  the  rock  for  a  week  and  never 
dream  of  their  existence. 

Perched  on  the  highest  summit  of  the  two  sides 
of  the  rock  thus  divided  by  this  canyon,  are  the  ruins 
of  two  interesting  prehistoric  villages.  The  nearer 
of  these  ruins  presents  a  rectangle  206  feet  wide 
by  307  feet  long,  the  sides  conforming  to  the  four 
cardinal  points.  There  were  evidently  two  ranges 
of  rooms  on  the  north  side  and  two  on  the  west,  with 
a  few  rooms  within  the  court.  On  the  north  side 
was  found  one  room  seven  feet  four  inches  by  eight 
and  one-half  feet,  and  on  the  east  side  one  eight  and 
one-half  by  seven  feet.  These  were  the  two  largest 
rooms,  except  for  one  circular  kiva  thirty-one  feet  in 
diameter,  near  the  middle  of  the  north  wall. 

The  ruin  on  the  opposite  side  was  of  the  same 
character,  and  around  both  of  them  we  picked  up 
many  specimens  from  the  immense  quantities  of 
broken  pottery,  most  all  decorated  after  the  usual 
style. 

The  Zunis  have  a  tradition  in  regard  to  the 
inhabitants  of  these  ruins,  and  they  also  tell  a  most 
interesting  story  which  refers  their  abandonment  to 
the  time  when  the  great  flood  of  lava  threatened  the 
country. 

We  camped  that  night  at  the  foot  of  Inscription 
Rock,  under  the  pine  tree  near  the  spring  which 
had  furnished  refreshment  to  Juan  de  Onate,  De 


176  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

Vargas,  Bishop  Elizaecochea,  and  many  other 
heroes  and  notables  whose  names  we  have  been 
studying.  I  was  very  weary,  and  yet  my  brain  was 
in  such  a  whirl  with  the  wonderful  thrill  and  fasci- 
nation of  the  great  events  we  call  history,  that  I 
found  it  almost  impossible  to  sleep.  What  must  have 
been  the  thoughts  of  those  soldiers,  far  away  from 
home  and  families,  knowing  that  they  were  in  the 
land  of  people  who  hated  them,  and  yet  going  back 
and  forth  day  after  day,  liable  to  be  killed  at  any 
moment,  but  simply  accepting  the  danger  as  part  of 
their  every-day  occupation!  How  hard  it  is  for 
people  of  one  condition  of  life  and  time  to  com- 
prehend the  spirit  of  the  lives  of  people  in  other 
conditions  and  times! 

ON  THE  EOAD  TO  ZUNI 

In  spite  of  the  interest  we  felt  in  Inscription 
Rock,  we  were  all  eager  to  push  on  the  next  morning 
immediately  after  breakfast,  for  Zuni  was  ahead  of 
us,  with  the  fascination  of  its  stories,  legends,  his- 
tory, ceremonies  and  people.  The  road  was  sandy 
and  wearisome  to  travel,  being  composed  of  a  series 
of  long  ascents  followed  by  sudden  and  rather  steep 
descents.  It  was  through  a  juniper-  and  pinion- 
dotted  country,  and  would  have  been  interesting 
enough  if  it  had  not  been  so  hot  and  the  journey 
so  long. 

There  was  one  interesting  break,  in  a  marvelous 
piece  of  rock  sculpture  that  we  saw  on  our  left  not 
far  from  the  road.  It  was  a  gigantic  flying  buttress 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          177 

with  an  arch  two  or  three  hundred  feet  high,  the 
whole  figure  being  on  a  scale  of  grandeur  and  mag- 
nificence that  completely  dwarfed  the  most  wonderful 
work  of  man  in  this  line. 

Leaving  this  behind  us,  we  pressed  on  until  sud- 
denly the  winding  road  abruptly  ended  in  a  black 
lava  descent  of  nearly  250  feet.  There  before  us 
was  spread  out  the  long  looked  for  plain  of  Zuni. 
It  was  a  great  red  and  yellow  stretch  that  reached 
into  the  far-away  hill  lands  to  the  west  and  south, 
distorted  by  mirages  and  sand-clouds ;  whilst  to  our 
left,  a  mile  or  two  away,  rising  from  numberless  red 
sandstone  foothills,  towered  a  rocky  island  far  larger 
than  either  Katzimo  or  Acoma,  possibly  a  thousand 
feet  high  and  two  or  three  miles  in  length  along  its 
flat  top,  which  in  places  was  chiseled  and  carved 
by  the  weather  into  pinnacles,  spires,  domes  and 
minarets.  The  entire  north  side  of  the  valley  was 
closed  in  by  a  section  of  canyon-seamed  brown  sand- 
stone mesas  mantled  in  pinion  and  juniper,  con- 
trasting richly  with  the  sky,  which  at  this  point  was 
deep  turquoise  and  perfectly  cloudless.  Out  from 
the  middle  of  the  rocky  hill  and  line  of  sand-hills 
on  which  we  stood,  emerged  the  Zuni  River,  but  it 
was  only  a  tiny  streamlet,  winding  its  way  westward 
across  the  sandy  plain,  glistening  and  shimmering 
in  the  evening  sun,  until  it  seemed  to  lose  itself  in 
the  shadows  of  a  good-sized  hummock  which  arose 
above  the  horizon  line  of  the  far-away  distance.  We 
were  drinking  in  the  scene  when  Dr.  James  came  up 
behind  us  and,  pointing  to  the  hummock,  said,  "  There 
is  Zuni."  It  was  hard  to  realize  it  until  with  the 


178  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

field  glasses  we  took  a  good  look.  We  were  then  able 
clearly  to  see  the  big  pyramid  house  and  tiny  moving 
human  figures  on  the  upper  terrace,  some  of  which 
were  clearly  silhouetted  against  the  glare  of  the 
setting  sun. 

Near  where  we  stood  was  the  place  where  Marcos 
de  Niza  got  his  first  glimpse  of  this  wonderful  city, 
of  which  Cabeza  de  Vaca  had  brought  the  news  into 
Mexico  and  had  fired  the  hearts  of  the  Spaniards 
into  the  belief  that  here  undoubtedly  was  one  of  the 
fabled  " seven  cities  of  Cibola,"  where -gold,  jewels 
and  precious  stones  were  to  be  picked  up  ad  libitum. 

It  was  not  long  before  our  jaded  horses  stopped 
with  gladness  just  across  the  tiny  river  opposite  Zuni. 

THE  INDIAN  VILLAGE  OF  ZUNI 

The  first  impression  one  has  of  Zuni  is  of  a 
number  of  long,  flat-roofed  adobe-covered  houses, 
such  as  we  had  seen  at  Laguna,  but  connected  with 
one  another  in  extended  rows  and  squares,  piled  one 
above  another,  lengthwise  and  crosswise,  but  getting 
smaller  as  they  ascend,  and  each  tier  receding  from 
the  one  in  front  like  the  steps  of  a  rude-shaped 
pyramid,  with  a  base  that  stretched  out  somewhat 
indefinitely  in  each  direction.  This  was  the  monster 
community  house,  which  dominates  all  the  other 
houses  in  Zuni. 

The  structure  fairly  bristled  with  ladder  poles, 
chimneys  and  protruding  rafters.  The  ladders  were 
all  heavy  and  long,  and  stood  leaning  at  all  angles 
against  the  roofs,  or  protruded  through  hatchways 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          179 

from  rooms  beneath.  Carved  slabs  of  wood  were 
tied  across  the  tops.  The  chimneys  were  unlike  any- 
thing we  had  seen  before,  suggesting  gigantic  bam- 
boos with  joints  very  close  together.  We  found  that 
they  were  made  of  bottomless  ollas,  or  pottery  jars, 
set  one  upon  another  and  cemented  together  with 
mud.  The  doorways  were  small  and  windows  tiny. 
And  from  the  base  to  the  top,  on  different  steps  of 


THE    PUEBLO    OF    ZUNI,    N.    M. 

the  terraces  here  and  there,  were  the  bee-hive  ovens 
we  had  become  familiar  with  at  Laguna  and  Acoma. 
All  around  the  town,  especially  on  the  side  where 
the  little  river  ran,  were  the  tiniest  and  quaintest 
little  gardens  ever  seen,  separated  from  one  another 
by  irregularly  built  walls.  Here,  arranged  like 
figures  on  a  checker-board,  were  patches  of  squash, 


180 


A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 


onion,  chili-pepper,  melons  and  pumpkins,  and 
beyond  these  were  numberless  round  and  square 
corrals  made  of  bare  posts  and  sticks  of  juniper 
and  pine.  In  some  of  these  enclosures  burros  and 
sheep  were  confined,  and  a  number  of  hobbled  burros 
were  to  be  seen  in  every  direction,  wherever  the  eye 


TSNA-HAY,    "ZUNI   DICK" 


rested.  Hobbling  a  burro  means  tying  his  front  legs 
together  at  the  ankles  with  a  stout  thong  of  buckskin. 
This  enables  the  animal  to  move  about  and  pick  up 
what  forage  he  can  find;  and  at  the  same  time  it 
makes  traveling  difficult,  so  that  he  cannot  stray 
away  from  home.  There  were  more  dogs  than  burros, 
and  of  all  the  slinking,  scrawny,  vicious-looking  crea- 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          181 

tures,  these  certainly  surpassed  anything  I  had  ever 
seen.  Wallowing  in  several  mudholes  by  the  side  of 
the  stream  were  some  black  hogs,  which  scurried 
away  with  swift  feet  and  disapproving  grunts  when 
we  approached.  As  we  came  nearer  we  were  sur- 
prised to  find  a  number  of  eagles  confined  in  rude 
cages  made  of  sticks,  which  occupied  various  corners 
of  the  housetops. 

We  went  directly  to  the  house  of  Tsna-hay, 
commonly  called  "Zuni  Dick,"  who  greeted  us 
kindly  in  broken  English,  and  seemed  especially 
glad  to  see  his  old  friend,  Dr.  James.  It  did  not 
take  long  to  allot  us  our  quarters.  We  girls  were 
lodged  in  the  house  of  Pa-lo-wah-ti-wa,  whose  grand- 
father, we  afterwards  learned,  was  one  of  the  noted 
governors  of  Zuni.  Two  of  the  boys  and  Dr.  James 
stayed  at  Dick's,  while  Professor  and  Mrs.  Young 
and  the  other  boys  were  accommodated  in  nearby 
houses. 

As  we  were  to  stay  here  for  several  days,  definite 
arrangements  were  made  as  to  meals,  so  that  we 
could  give  as  much  time  as  possible  to  sight-seeing. 
Surely  now,  if  never  before,  we  were  in  a  foreign 
land.  The  architecture  was  strange ;  the  little  naked 
boys  and  girls,  strange;  the  kangaroo-like  jump  of 
the  hobbled  burros  was  strange;  and  as  we  climbed 
to  the  top  of  the  big  pyramid  house,  things  seemed  to 
grow  stranger  still.  In  one  place  we  saw  a  woman 
making  pottery ;  close  by,  a  woman  was  sweeping  a 
floor  with  the  quaintest  little  bunch  of  broom-corn 
in  her  hand;  while  a  little  distance  away,  another 
woman  was  washing  the  hair  of  her  husband  or  son 


182  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

in  a  bowl  that  seemed  full  to  overflowing  of  light 
suds  or  lather.  On  the  next  story  a  man  squatting 
against  the  wall  was  sewing  a  pair  of  moccasins. 
Every  few  moments,  naked  children,  like  living 
bronze  statues,  darted  in  and  out  of  the  doorways 
or  popped  their  heads  through  the  ladderways  and 
immediately  darted  or  popped  back  again,  as  if  half 
afraid  of  us. 

We  saw  so  many  things  of  interest  that  delayed 
us  as  we  climbed  that  it  seemed  as  if  we  should  never 
reach  the  top.  And  when  we  did  reach  there,  the 
impression  of  being  in  a  strange  land  was  much 
stronger  than  it  had  been  before.  The  strange 
building,  with  its  peculiar  terraced  architecture, 
funny  chimneys,  obtrusive  ladder  poles  and  funny 
little  flights  of  steps  between  stories,  looked  like  a 
Chinese  puzzle,  and  the  streets  and  alley- ways  which 
surrounded  it  at  the  base  only  added  to  the  puzzle 
effect. 

Beyond  the  house,  radiating  like  spokes  of  a 
wheel — the  spokes,  however,  made  of  sticks  which 
bent  " every- which- way" — were  numberless  trails 
that  led  the  eye  to  the  walls  of  rock  that  seemed  to 
hem  in  this  valley  on  every  hand.  The  rocks  formed 
a  rude  circle,  the  rim  of  the  cart-wheel  of  which  the 
hub  was  the  great  house  on  which  we  stood. 

Suddenly  a  sweet  and  musical  voice  arose  as  if 
someone  were  making  an  announcement.  Looking  in 
the  direction  of  the  voice,  we  saw,  standing  on  the 
roof  of  one  of  the  houses  detached  from  the  main 
building,  an  upright  figure  with  blanket  wrapped 
tightly  around  him,  melodiously  making  announce- 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES    183 

ments  to  all  the  people.  We  afterwards  learned  that 
this  was  the  governor's  herald,  instructing  the  people 
as  to  the  ceremonies  or  duties  that  must  be  performed 
on  the  morrow. 

That  night  we  were  all  invited  to  go  down  into 
the  underground  sacred  kivas  where  one  of  the 
medicine  men  was  to  tell  us  of  the  distribution  of 
the  different  animals  throughout  the  earth.  To  make 
this  story  clear,  Dr.  James  gave  us  the  following 
introductory  explanation,  which  he  says  forms  part 
of  a  wonderfully  interesting  monograph  on  "Zuni 
Fetiches,"  which  appears  in  one  of  the  reports  of 
the  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology.  Said  he : 

"The  Zuni  Indians  have  a  very  peculiar  and 
interesting  philosophy,  according  to  Gushing,  which 
accounts  for  and  explains  some  most  interesting 
fetiches,  which  are  very  common  amongst  them. 
The  highest  philosophy  of  which  we  are  cognizant 
recognizes  the  6 Universal  Kinship,'  and  the  ' Cosmic 
Consciousness'  is  already  believed  in  by  thousands 
of  intelligent  people,  as  well  as  followers  of  Emerson 
and  Whitman.  In  a  way,  the  Zunis  believe  in  this 
universal  relationship,  not  only  of  the  sun,  moon, 
stars,  sky,  earth  and  sea,  but  all  plants,  animals, 
men,  and  every  inanimate  object.  Though  they 
believe  these  objects  have  an  all-conscious  and  inter- 
related life,  the  degree  of  relationship  seems  to  be 
determined  largely  by  the  degree  of  resemblance. 

"To  them,  man  is  the  least  mysterious  and  most 
dependent  of  '  all  things, '  hence  he  is  the  lowest.  Any- 
thing that  in  any  way,  actually  or  in  imagination, 
resembles  him,  is  believed  to  be  related  to  him,  and 


184  A  LITTLE  JOUBNEY  TO 

correspondingly  mortal  and  low  in  the  scale.  Every- 
thing that  is  mysterious,  strange  and  incomprehen- 
sible to  him,  on  the  other  hand,  is  regarded  as  further 
advanced  than  himself,  powerful  and  immortal.  The 
animals,  being  mortal  and  possessing  similar  physical 
functions  and  organs,  are  closely  related  to  man ;  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  as  they  possess  specific  powers 
and  instincts  that  man  does  not  possess,  and  at  the 
same  time  have  an  element  of  the  mysterious  in  them, 
they  are  regarded  as  nearer  to  the  gods  than  man. 
The  phenomena  of  nature,  being  still  more  myste- 
rious, powerful  and  immortal  (that  is,  they  are 
exercised  all  the  time,  while  man  is  born  and  dies, 
and  thus  is  mortal)  are  more  closely  related  to 
the  higher  gods  than  the  animals ;  yet  they  are  nearer 
to  the  animals  than  are  the  higher  gods,  because  their 
manifestations  often  seem  to  resemble  the  operations 
of  the  animals. 

"  Hence  we  see  in  the  Zuni  philosophy  of  things 
the  following  order : 

The  Higher  Gods, 

The  Phenomena  of  Nature, 

The  Animals, 

Man, 

the  animals  and  the  phenomena  of  nature  forming 
links  between  the  powers  below  them  and  the 
powers  above. 

"The  phenomena  of  nature  are  all  personified, 
and  are  given  animal  personalities  that  most  nearly 
correspond  to  their  commonest  manifestations.  For 
instance,  lightning  is  given  the  form  of  a  serpent, 
with  or  without  the  arrow-pointed  tongue,  because 


SOME  STKANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES    185 

its  course  through  the  sky  is  serpentine,  and  its 
stroke,  like  that  of  the  serpent,  instantaneous  and 
destructive.  Yet,  strange  to  say,  it  is  named  not 
after  the  name  of  the  serpent,  but  after  its  most 
obvious  trait,  viz.,  its  gliding,  zigzag  motion. 

"It  can  thus  be  seen  that  the  Zuni  man  regards 
the  serpent  as  his  superior,  because  to  him,  it  is  more 
mysterious  than  himself  and  is  more  nearly  related 
to  the  lightning,  which  is  a  step  still  higher. 

"Following  this  chain  of  reasoning,  it  can  well  be 
seen  that  the  Zuni  gods,  the  *  Master  Existences,' 
are  supposed  to  be  more  closely  related  to  the  per- 
sonalities of  the  phenomena  of  nature  than  to  either 
animals  or  men.  The  latter  two  are  close  by,  mortal, 
and  not  so  very  mysterious,  whereas  the  '  Creators 
and  Masters'  are  far  away,  remote  in  time,  immortal, 
and  only  vaguely  known.  They  are  all  given  forms, 
however,  either  of  animals  (which  forms  also  per- 
sonify the  powers  of  nature),  of  monsters  com- 
pounded of  man  and  beast,  or  of  man.  The  animal 
gods  form  by  far  the  largest  class. 

"The  Zunis  have  no  words  to  signify  'gods.'  The 
nearest  terms  they  possess  are  words  that  signify 
6 Surpassing  Beings' — Creators  and  Masters,  and 
'All  Fathers' — beings  who  are  superior  to  all  others 
in  wonder  and  power,  and  who  are  the  'Makers'  and 
the  'Finishers'  of  existence. 

"Living  men  are  called  'Done  Beings' — from  the 
words  that  signify  'done,  cooked,  baked,  or  ripe'; 
and  when  they  die  they  are  called  'Finished 
Beings' — from  the  words  signifying  'made'  or 
'finished.' 


186  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

"It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  there  is  not  so 
vast  a  difference  between  these  orders  of  life;  and 
each  being  related  to  the  one  above  and  the  one  below 
it,  the  Zuni  realizes  a  close  connection  between  him- 
self and  the  highest  powers.  The  nearest  he  comes 
to  recognition  of  God  is  in  his  mythology,  where  there 
are  beings,  godlike  in  attributes  and  power,  anthro- 
morphus,  monstrous,  elemental,  who  are  known  as 
the  '  Makers  or  Finishers  of  the  Paths  of  Life.'  The 
Sun,  the  most  superior  of  all,  is  called  'The  Holder 
of  the  Paths.' 

"From  the  sun  downwards  to  man,  all  these 
beings  and  personalities  (even  those  of  nature)  are 
called  'Life  Beings,'  and  because  all  have  the  same 
general  name,  the  Zuni  instinctively  believes  that 
they  are  all  of  one  blood, — one  family. 

"Feeling,  however,  as  he  does,  that  the  animals 
are  nearer  to  himself  than  either  the  phenomena  of 
nature  or  the  higher  gods,  and  that  they  may  and 
can  act  as  mediators  between  himself  and  the  higher 
powers,  it  is  perfectly  natural  that  his  worship  should 
be  largely  addressed  to  animals.  And  here  another 
peculiarity  of  his  mental  processes  is  observed,  viz. : 
Being  unable  to  recognize  the  difference  between  the 
objective  and  the  subjective,  he  establishes  delation- 
ships  between  natural  objects  which  resemble  animals 
and  the  animals  themselves.  He  even  imitates  these 
animals  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  such  relation- 
ships between  himself  and  the  animals  and  the 
natural  phenomena  they  signify;  and  he  thus  pro- 
vides himself  with  a  conventional  art  for  purely 
religious  purposes. 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES    187 

"In  his  selection  of  animals  to  act  as  mediators 
between  himself  and  the  higher  powers,  he  naturally 
chooses  those  which  supply  him  with  food  and  useful 
material,  as  skins  for  clothing  and  foot-gear,  gut 
for  bow-strings,  etc.  But  more  important  still  to 
him  are  those  animals  that  prey  upon  these  useful 
and  food  animals.  If  he  can  propitiate  these  latter 
and  gain  their  spirit  and  power,  he  will  never  lack 
for  food,  etc.;  and  this  is  one  of  the  great  objects 
of  his  prayer.  Hence  he  calls  the  representations  of 
these  objects-  of  his  worship, — these  fetiches, — 
We-ma-we,  or  Prey  Beings. 

"The  fetiches  highly  valued  by  the  Zunis  are 
natural  concretions  which  bear  a  resemblance  to  one 
of  the  animals  or  representations  worshiped,  and 
these  resemblances  are  often  artificially  heightened. 
The  most  valued  of  all,  however,  are  sometimes  highly 
carved,  but,  by  their  high  polish  and  dark  patina,  are 
clearly  of  great  antiquity.  They  have  been  found 
around  the  ruins  of  ancient  pueblos,  or  have  been 
handed  down  for  many  generations.  All  these  con- 
cretions, whether  in  their  original  or  improved 
condition,  are  supposed  by  the  Zunis — and  their 
A'-slii-wa-ni,  or  medicine  men,  clearly  teach  such  as 
the  fact — to  be  either  actual  petrifactions  of  the 
animals  they  represent,  or  were  such  originally. 

"By  a  strange  course  of  reasoning,  the  Zunis 
believe  that  the  fetiches,  though  of  stone,  possess 
all  the  qualities  of  body  and  spirit  inherent  to  the 
animals  when  alive.  For  instance,  the  heart  of  the 
mountain  lion  has  a  spirit  of  conscious  power  over 
the  antelope,  deer  and  other  animals  that  he  hunts ; 


188  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

his  breath,  which  comes  from  this  magical  power  of 
the  heart,  breathed  in  the  direction  of  the  prey, 
whether  near  or  far,  strikes  their  hearts  and  causes 
their  legs  to  stiffen  and  their  bodies  to  lose  their 
strength ;  and  his  cry,  which  is  his  magical  medicine 
of  destruction,  charms  the  senses  of  his  prey.  The 
fetich  has  the  same  power,  they  believe ;  for,  though 
the  person  of  the  lion  is  stone,  his  heart  still  lives, 
and  these  powers  are  derived  from  the  living  heart. 

"  Hence  they  have  a  large  number  of  fetiches, 
one  for  each  of  the  six  world  regions,  and  the  reason 
for  these  is  explained  in  the  legend  which  I  have 
asked  our  Zuni  friend  to  tell  you." 

We  now  turned  to  the  Zuni  shaman,  and  listened 
as  he  talked  and  Tsnahay  translated. 

How  I  wish  I  had  the  power  to  paint  a  picture 
of  our  story-teller  as  we  sat  in  this  underground 
chamber,  squatted  around  the  little  fire  which 
burned  on  the  hearth  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder, 
through  the  hatchway  of  which  we  could  catch 
glimpses  of  the  star-studded  sky!  With  solemn 
dignity  the  story-teller  talked,  his  bronzed  and 
seamed  face  lit  up  every  now  and  again,  not  only 
with  the  interest  of  his  tale,  but  with  the  additional 
light  cast  when  a  few  new  sticks  were  put  upon  the 
fire.  We,  the  product  of  the  later  American  civiliza- 
tion, sat  around  him,  while  beyond  us  sat  and  stood  a 
listening  throng  of  Zuni  young  men  and  old,  who 
seemed  as  much  interested  in  the  story  as  if  they 
had  never  heard  it  before. 

Each  of  the  six  regions  has  its  own  prey  animal, 
who  is  also  the  guardian  of  that  region,  as  follows: 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          189 

the  Mountain  Lion,  of  the  North,  because  his  coat  is 
yellow  and  the  light  of  the  North  is  yellow ;  the  Black 
Bear,  to  the  land  of  Night,  the  West ;  the  Badger,  of 
ruddy  skin,  the  land  of  Summer,  the  South;  the 
White  Wolf,  to  the  land  of  the  Dawn,  the  East; 
the  Eagle,  to  the  upper  regions,  for  he  flies  through 
the  air  without  tiring,  and  his  coat  is  speckled  as  is  the 
sky  with  clouds ;  the  Mole,  to  the  lower  regions,  for 
he  burrows  through  the  earth,  and  his  coat  is  black, 
as  are  the  holes  and  caves  of  the  earth.  The  Moun- 
tain Lion  is  the  master  of  all  the  gods  of  prey,  because 
he  is  stout  of  heart  and  strong  of  will. 

The  fetiches  representing  all  these  animals  are 
kept  in  great  veneration  by  the  Zuni  medicine  priests, 
and  when  a  member  of  one  of  their  societies  wishes 
to  go  hunting  he  comes  and,  with  much  prayer  and 
ceremony,  takes  out  the  fetich  he  needs  for  the  direc- 
tion he  intends  to  hunt  in  and  the  prey  he  seeks 
to  obtain. 

This  is  their  story  about  the  distribution  of  the 
animals:  When  men  began  their  journey  on  the 
earth  it  was  from  the  Red  River.  The  wonderful 
family  of  the  Snail  People  caused,  by  means  of  their 
magic  power,  all  the  game  animals  in  the  whole  world 
round  about  to  gather  together  in  the  forked  canyon- 
valley  under  their  town,  where  they  were  securely 
hidden  from  the  rest  of  the  world. 

The  walls  of  this  canyon  were  high  and  insur- 
mountable, and  the  whole  valley,  although  large,  was 
filled  full  of  the  game  animals,  so  that  their  feet 
rumbled  and  rattled  together  like  the  sound  of  distant 
thunder,  and  their  horns  crackled  like  the  sound  of  a 


190  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

storm  in  a  dry  forest.  All  round  about  the  canyon 
these  passing  wonderful  Snail  People  made  a  line 
of  magic  medicine  and  sacred  meal,  which  road,  even 
as  a  corral,  no  game  animal,  even  though  great  Elk 
or  strong  buck  Deer,  could  pass. 

Now,  it  rained  many  days,  and  thus  the  tracks 
of  all  these  animals  tending  thither  were  washed 
away.  Nowhere  could  the  Ka-ka,  or  the  children  of 
men,  although  they  hunted  day  after  day  over  the 
plains  and  mountains,  on  the  mesas  and  along  the 
canyon- valleys,  find  prey  or  trace  of  prey. 

Thus  it  happened  that  after  many  days  they 
grew  hungry,  almost  famished.  Even  the  great 
strong  Sha-la-ko  and  the  swift  sa-la-mo-pi-a  walked 
zigzag  in  their  trails,  from  the  weakness  of  hunger. 
At  first  the  mighty  Ka-ka  and  men  alike  were  com- 
pelled to  eat  the  bones  they  had  before  cast  away, 
and  at  last  to  devour  the  soles  of  their  moccasins 
and  even  the  deer-tail  ornaments  of  their  dresses, 
for  want  of  the  flesh  of  the  game  animals. 

Still,  day  after  day,  though  weak  and  disheart- 
ened, men  and  the  Ka-ka  (Zuni  ancient  mythical 
beings)  sought  game  in  the  mountains.  At  last  a 
great  Elk  was  given  liberty.  His  sides  shook  with 
tallow ;  his  dew-lap  hung  like  a  bag,  so  fleshy  was  it ; 
his  horns  spread  out  like  the  branches  of  a  dead 
tree;  and  his  crackling  hoofs  cut  the  sands  and 
even  the  rocks  as  he  ran  westward.  He  circled  far 
oft'  toward  the  Eed  River,  passed  through  the  Round 
valley,  and  into  the  northern  canyons.  The  Sha-la-ko 
was  out  hunting.  He  espied  the  deep  tracks  of  the 
Elk  and  fleetly  followed  him.  Passing  swift  and 


SOME  STKANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          191 

strong  was  he,  though  weak  from  hunger,  and  ere 
long  he  came  in  sight  of  the  great  Elk.  The  sight 
gladdened  and  strengthened  him ;  but  alas !  the  Elk 
kept  his  distance  as  he  turned  again  toward  the 
hiding-place  of  his  brother  animals.  On  and  on  the 
Sha-la-ko  followed  him,  until  he  came  to  the  edge 
of  a  great  canyon,  and,  peering  over  the  brink,  dis- 
covered the  hiding-place  of  all  the  game  animals  of 
the  world. 

' ' Aha !  so  here  you  all  are ! ' '  said  he.  "I '11  hasten 
back  to  my  father,  Pa-u-ti-wa,*  who  hungers  for 
flesh,  alas !  and  grows  weak."  And  like  the  wind  the 
Sha-la-ko  returned  to  Ko-thu-el-low-ne.  Entering, 
he  informed  the  Ka-ka,  and  word  was  sent  out  by  the 
swift  Sa-la-mo-pi-af  to  all  the  We-ma-a-ha-i  for 
counsel  and  assistance,  for  they  were  now  the  fathers 
of  men  and  the  Ka-ka.  The  mountain  Lion,  the 
Coyote,  the  Wild  Cat,  the  Wolf,  the  Eagle,  the  Falcon, 
the  Ground  Owl,  and  the  Mole  were  summoned,  all 
hungry  and  lean,  as  wrere  the  Ka-ka  and  the  children 
of  men,  from  want  of  the  flesh  of  the  game  animals. 
Nevertheless,  they  were  anxious  for  the  hunt,  and 
moved  themselves  quickly  among  one  another  in  their 
anxiety.  Then  the  passing  swift  runners,  the  Sa-la- 
mo-pi-a,  of  all  colors, — the  yellow,  the  blue,  the  red, 
the  white,  the  many  colored,  and  the  black, — were 


*  The  chief  god  of  the  Ka-ka,  now  represented  by  masks  and  the 
richest  costuming  known  to  the  Zunis,  which  are  worn  during  the  Winter 
ceremonials  of  the  tribe. 

t  The  Salamopia  are  monsters  with  round  heads,  long  snouts,  huge 
feathered  necks,  and  human  bodies.  They  are  supposed  to  live  beneath 
the  waters,  to  come  forth,  or  enter  snout  foremost.  They  also  play  an 
important  part  in  the  Ka-ka  or  sacred  dances  of  Winter. 


192  A  LITTLE  JOUKNEY  TO 

summoned  to  accompany  the  We-ma-a-ha-i  to  the 
Snail  People.  Well  they  knew  that  passing  wonder- 
ful were  the  Snail  People,  and  that  no  easy  matter 
would  it  be  to  overcome  their  medicine  and  their 
magic.  But  they  hastened  forth  until  they  came 
near  to  the  canyon.  Then  the  Sha-la-ko,  $  who 
guided  them,  gave  directions  that  they  should  make 
themselves  ready  for  the  hunt. 

When  all  were  prepared,  he  opened  by  his  sacred 
power  the  magic  corral  on  the  northern  side,  and 
forth  rushed  a  great  buck  Deer. 

"Long  Tail,  the  corral  has  been  opened  for  thee. 
Forth  comes  the  game;  seize  him!"  With  great 
leaps  the  Mountain  Lion  overtook  and  threw  the 
Deer  to  the  ground,  and  fastened  his  teeth  in  his 
throat. 

The  corral  was  opened  on  the  western  side.  Forth 
rushed  a  Mountain  Sheep. 

"Coyote,  the  corral  has  been  opened  for  thee. 
Forth  comes  thy  game;  seize  him!"  The  Coyote 
dashed  swiftly  forward.  The  Mountain  Sheep 
dodged  him  and  ran  off  toward  the  west.  The  Coyote 
crazily  ran  about,  yelping  and  barking  after  his  game, 
but  the  Mountain  Sheep  bounded  from  rock  to  rock 
and  was  soon  far  away.  Still  the  Coyote  rushed 
crazily  about  until  the  Mountain  Lion  commanded 
him  to  be  quiet.  But  the  Coyote  smelled  the  blood 
of  the  Deer  and  was  beside  himself  with  hunger. 


$  Monster  human-bird  forms,  the  warrior  chiefs  of  Pautiwa,  the 
representatives  of  which  visit  Zuni,  from  their  supposed  western  home 
in  certain  springs,  each  New  Year.  They  are  more  than  twelve  feet  high, 
and  are  carried  swiftly  about  by  persons  concealed  under  their  dresses. 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          193 

Then  the  Mountain  Lion  said  to  him,  disdainfully: 
"  Satisfy  thy  hunger  on  the  blood  I  have  spilled,  for 
today  thou  hast  missed  thy  game ;  and  thus  ever  will 
thy  descendants  like  thee  blunder  in  the  chase.  As 
thou  this  day  satisfiest  thy  hunger,  so  also  by  the 
blood  that  the  hunter  spills  on  the  flesh  that  he  throws 
away  shall  thy  descendants  forever  have  being." 

The  corral  was  opened  on  the  southern  side.  An 
Antelope  sprang  forth.  With  bounds  less  strong 
than  those  of  the  Mountain  Lion,  but  nimbler,  the 
Wild  Cat  seized  him  and  threw  him  to  the  ground. 

The  corral  was  opened  on  the  eastern  side.  Forth 
ran  the  O-ho-li  —  the  Albino  Antelope.  The  Wolf 
seized  and  threw  him.  The  Jack  Rabbit  was  let  out. 
The  Eagle  poised  himself  for  a  moment,  then 
swooped  upon  him.  The  Cotton  Tail  came  forth. 
The  Prey  Mole  waited  in  his  hole  and  seized  him; 
the  Wood  Rat,  the  Falcon  made  him  his  prey;  the 
Mouse,  and  the  Ground  Owl  quickly  caught  him. 

While  the  We-ma-a-ha-i  were  thus  satisfying 
their  hunger,  the  game  animals  began  to  escape 
through  the  breaks  in  the  corral.  Forth  through  the 
northern  door  rushed  the  Buffalo,  the  great  Elk,  and 
the  Deer,  and  toward  the  north  the  Mountain  Lion 
and  the  yellow  Sa-la-mo-pi-a  swiftly  followed  and 
herded  them  to  the  world  where  stands  the  yellow 
mountain,  below  the  great  northern  ocean. 

Out  through  the  western  gap  rushed  the  Mountain 
Sheep,  herded  and  driven  by  the  Coyote  and  the  blue 
Sa-la-mo-pi-a,  toward  the  great  western  ocean,  where 
stands  the  ancient  blue  mountain. 

Out    through    the    southern    gap    rushed    the 


194  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

Antelope,  herded  and  driven  by  the  Wild  Cat  and 
the  red  Sa-la-mo-pi-a,  toward  the  great  land  of 
Summer,  where  stands  the  ancient  red  mountain. 

Out  through  the  eastern  gap  rushed  the  Albino 
Antelope,  herded  and  driven  by  the  Wolf  and  the 
white  Sa-la-mo-pi-a,  toward  where  "they  say"  is  the 
eastern  ocean,  the  " Ocean  of  Day,"  wherein  stands 
the  ancient  white  mountain. 

Forth  rushed  in  all  directions  the  Jack  Rabbits, 
the  Cotton  Tails,  the  Rats,  and  the  Mice;  and  the 
Eagle,  the  Falcon,  and  the  Ground  Owl  circled  high 
above,  toward  the  great  "Sky  ocean,"  above  which 
stands  the  ancient  mountain  of  many  colors;  and 
they  drove  them  over  all  the  earth,  that  from  their 
homes  in  the  air  they  could  watch  them  in  all  places ; 
and  the  Sa-la-mo-pi-a  of  many  colors  rose  and 
assisted  them. 

Into  the  earth  burrowed  the  Rabbits,  the  Rats, 
and  the  Mice,  from  the  sight  of  the  Eagle,  the  Falcon, 
and  the  Ground  Owl;  but  the  Prey  Mole  and  the 
black  Sa-la-mo-pi-a  thither  followed  them  toward 
the  four  caverns  of  earth,  beneath  which  stands  the 
ancient  black  mountain. 

When  the  earth  and  winds  were  filled  with  rum- 
bling from  the  feet  of  the  departing  animals,  the 
Snail  People  saw  that  their  game  was  escaping; 
hence  the  world  was  filled  with  the  wars  of  the  Ka-ka, 
the  Snail  People,  and  the  children  of  men. 

Thus  were  let  loose  the  game  animals  of  the  world. 
Hence  the  Buffalo,  the  great  Elk,  and  the  largest 
Deer  are  found  mostly  in  the  North,  where  they  are 
ever  pursued  by  the  great  Mountain  Lion ;  but  with 


SOME  STRAXGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          195 

them  escaped  other  animals,  and  so  not  alone  in  the 
North  are  the  Buffalo,  the  Great  Elk,  and  the  Deer 
found. 

Among  the  mountains  and  the  canyons  of  the 
West  are  found  the  Mountain  Sheep,  pursued  by  the 
Coyote ;  but  with  them  escaped  many  other  animals, 
hence  not  alone  in  the  West  are  the  Mountain 
Sheep  found. 

So,  for  the  same  reason,  that  other  animals 
escaped  in  the  same  direction,  while  we  find  toward 
the  South  the  Antelope,  pursued  by  the  Wild  Cat; 
toward  the  East  the  Albino  Antelope,  pursued  by 
the  Wolf ;  they  are  not  found  there  alone. 

In  all  directions  escaped  the  Jack  Rabbits,  Cotton 
Tails,  Rats,  and  Mice;  hence  over  all  the  earth  are 
they  found.  Above  them  in  the  skies  circle  the  Eagle, 
the  Falcon,  and  the  Ground  Owl ;  yet  into  the  earth 
escaped  many  of  them,  followed  by  the  Prey  Mole ; 
hence  beneath  the  earth  burrow  many. 

Thus,  also,  it  came  to  be  that  the  yellow  Mountain 
Lion  is  the  Master  Prey  Being  of  the  North;  but 
his  younger  brothers — the  blue,  the  red,  the  white, 
the  spotted,  and  the  black  Mountain  Lions — wander 
over  the  other  regions  of  earth.  Does  not  the  spotted 
Mountain  Lion  [evidently  the  Ocelot]  live  among  the 
high  mountains  of  the  South? 

Thus,  too,  was  it  with  the  Coyote,  who  is  Master 
of  the  West,  but  whose  younger  brothers  wander  over 
all  the  regions ;  and  thus,  too,  with  the  Wild  Cat  and 
the  Wolf. 

Thus  the  Zunis  explain  the  special  distribution 
of  the  Prey  animals  and  their  prey  throughout  the 


196 


A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 


six  regions,  and  also  why  other  animals  are  found 
in  those  regions  in  which,  according  to  the  special 
classification,  they  should  not  occur. 


ZUNI    NICK,    WHO    WAS    ONCE    HANGED    BY    THE    THUMBS    AS    A 

WIZARD 


BELIEVERS   IN   WITCHCRAFT 

JITST  as  we  wrere  leaving  the  kiva  and  about  to  retire 
for  the  night,  Dr.  James  laughingly  cautioned  us  to 
beware  of  the  witches.  And  then  we  remembered 
that  we  were  in  the  homes  of  people  who  earnestly 
and  sincerely  believe  in  witchcraft,  and  who,  within 
the  last  few  years,  have  severely  punished,  almost  to 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 


197 


death,  certain  of  their  men  and  women  who  had  been 
deemed  guilty  of  following  this  heinous  practice. 

In  the  morning  before  we  had  breakfast  we  were 
taken  over  to  the  home  of  "Nick,"  who,  though  a 
full-blooded  Zuni,  spoke  English  as  well  as  we  did. 
He  was  educated  by  Mr.  Graham,  an  Indian  trader, 


THE   HOUSE  OF  WEWA,   ZUNI,   N.   M. 


who  for  many  years  lived  at  Zuni,  and  who  adopted 
Nick  in  his  childhood.    As  we  returned  to  breakfast, 
Dr.  James  quietly  remarked :  "You  would  not  believe 
that  that  man  was  a  witch,  would  you  ?" 
In  amazement,  we  all  exclaimed  "No!" 
"Yet,"  said  he,  a  few  years  ago  Nick  was  accused 
of  being  a  witch,  or,  as  we  would  say,  using  the  mas- 
culine form  of  the  word,  a  wizard.    They  arrested, 


198 


A  LITTLE  JOUKNEY  TO 


tried,  condemned,  and  undoubtedly  would  have  killed 
him  had  it  not  been  for  the  intervention  of  Mr. 
Graham  and  his  other  white  friends." 

We  were  then  taken  to  the  home  formerly  owned 
by  Wewa,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  women  of  the 
Zunis  of  the  last  generation.  She  was  so  bright  and 


WEWA,    THE    ZUNI    WOMAN    WHOSE    DEATH    WAS    SAID    TO    HAVE 
BEEN    CAUSED   BY   WITCHCRAFT 


intelligent,  and  such  an  excellent  weaver,  that  Presi- 
dent Cleveland  invited  her  to  Washington,  where 
she  remained  as  his  guest  for  a  number  of  days. 
She  took  with  her  one  of  the  primitive  looms  of  the 
Zunis,  which  was  set  up  on  the  White  House  lawn, 
and  there  she  wove  several  of  her  beautiful  native 
robes  for  Mrs.  Cleveland.  She  remained  six  months 


SOME  STEANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          199 

in  Washington,  making  friends  with  Speaker  Car- 
lisle and  many  others.  She  was  the  tallest  person 
among  the  Zunis,  and  all  who  knew  her  regarded  her 
as  the  strongest,  both  mentally  and  physically.  She 
had  an  excellent  memory,  not  only  for  the  lore  of 
her  people,  but  of  all  the  things  she  saw  and  heard 
in  the  outside  world.  Her  energy  was  indefatigable, 
all  the  hard  work  of  her  household  being  left  for 
her  to  do. 

When  she  died  there  was  great  weeping  among 
the  Zunis,  and  Nai-u-chi,  the  chief  priest  of  the  Order 
of  the  Sacred  Bow  (one  of  the  most  important  relig- 
ious organizations  of  the  tribe)  deemed  her  death 
owing  to  witchcraft.  A  poor  old  woman  named 
Melita  was  accused  of  the  crime,  and  she  was  duly 
arrested  and  hung  up  by  the  wrists  and  thumbs  to 
make  her  confess.  While  in  this  agonizing  position, 
Nai-u-chi  and  his  two  associates,  Ne-mo-si  and  Hay- 
tot-si  abjured  her  to  acknowledge  her  wrongdoing 
and  then  suffer  the  penalty  in  meekness.  But  she 
refused. 

T)r.  James  happened  to  appear  in  the  village 
on  the  day  that  Melita  was  suspended,  and  his  pres- 
ence arrested  the  progress  of  her  punishment. 
Learning  of  the  event,  he  began  a  search  for  the  poor 
old  woman,  and,  finding  her  in  one  of  the  topmost 
rooms  of  the  large  community  house,  with  her  back 
all  raw  and  bleeding  from  the  cruel  scourgings  she 
had  received ;  her  wrists  cut  through  with  the  raw- 
hide riata  by  which  she  had  been  hung;  and  her 
cheeks  swelled  and  torn  by  the  bursting  of  blood- 
vessels under  her  eyes,  he  determined  to  protect  her 


200 


A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 


from  further  assault  and  injury.  The  teachers  of 
the  Government  school  kindly  attended  to  the  poor 
creature's  wounds  and  other  physical  necessities,  and 
he  spoke  strong  words  on  her  behalf  to  the  priests 
who  had  conducted  her  trial.  When  he  asked  Melita 


MELITA,    THE    OLD    WOMAN    ACCUSED    OF    HAVING    BEWITCHED 
WEWA,    ZUNI,   N.    M. 


who  had  been  guilty  of  beating  her  so  cruelly,  she 
said  " Hay- tot-si!  Hay-tot-si!"  When  she  had 
refused  to  confess,  this  zealous  and  fanatical  medi- 
cine man  had  torn  her  clothes  from  her  back  and 
scourged  her,  calling  upon  her  to  acknowledge  her 
evil  practices.  We  went  to  see  Melita,  and,  though 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES         201 

it  was  some  time  since  her  rescue,  the  glad  way  in 
which  she  welcomed  her  white  friend  showed  that 
she  remembered  and  fully  appreciated  what  he  had 
done  for  her  in  the  days  of  her  distress. 

RETURN    TO   GALLUP 

I  COULD  easily  fill  three  books  with  what  we  saw, 
heard  and  felt  at  Zuni,  but  my  space  is  too  limited 
to  write  more.  We  returned  to  the  railway  at  Gallup 
and  there  visited  the  coal  mines — for  it  is  a  great 
coal  region — and  also  met  quite  a  number  of  Navaho 
Indians  at  the  store  of  C.  N.  Cotton,  one  of  the  noted 
traders  of  the  country,  who  has  a  fine  statue  of 
Manuelito,  the  last  great  war-chief  of  that  tribe,  over 
the  entrance  to  his  store.  This  figure  was  sculp- 
tured by  the  eminent  artist  McNeil,  whose  work  has 
already  gained  him  world  fame  and  some  degree  of 
fortune. 

We  also  saw  one  of  the  most  remarkable  geological 
formations  it  has  been  our  good  fortune  to  witness, 
even  in  this  country  of  interesting  formations.  It 
occurs  about  half  a  mile  east  of  Gallup,  and  the 
Santa  Fe  railway  passes  directly  through  it.  This 
is  an  upturned  wall  of  cretaceous  sandstone,  etc.,  in 
a  monoclinal  flexure,  some  of  the  strata  being  tilted 
almost  to  the  perpendicular.  This  monocline  has  been 
called  the  Nutria  monocline,  because  it  first  appears 
at  the  village  of  Nutria,  which  we  passed  on  our 
return  from  Zuni,  and  it  has  long  engaged  the  inter- 
ested attention  of  our  most  observant  geologists.  All 
the  way  from  Grants  to  Gallup,  along  the  railway 


202 


A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 


are  most  interesting  masses  of  rock,  great  cliffs  termi- 
nating north  of  the  railway,  some  of  them  carved  and 
sculptured  into  rude  pyramids,  towers,  spires  and 
pinnacles.  One  of  these,  the  Navaho  church,  is  a  very 
noticeable  object  to  the  traveler  on  the  trans-conti- 
nental railway. 


IN    THE    PETRIFIED    FOREST,    ARIZONA 


ADAMANA  AND  THE  PETRIFIED  FOREST 

Our  next  point  of  interest  was  the  Petrified 
Forest,  and  to  reach  this  we  left  the  train  at  a  little 
side  station,  some  twenty  miles  east  of  Holbrook, 
known  as  Adamana. 

We  wondered  where    it    could    have    found    so 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          203 

strange  a  name.  Dr.  James  then  explained:  " There 
used  to  live  on  a  cattle-ranch,  near  by,  an  old  Arizona 
pioneer  named  Adam  Hanna.  I  have  often  rambled 
over  the  country  with  him  and  visited  the  great 
natural  wonder  which  we  are  now  about  to  see. 
When  the  Santa  Fe  Railway  finally  decided  that 
they  would  stop  their  trains  here  to  give  trans- 
continental travelers  an  opportunity  to  visit  the  Pet- 
rified Forest,  and  they  questioned  what  to  call  the 
station,  it  was  suggested  that  they  link  together  the 
two  names  of  the  old  pioneer,  which  was  accordingly 
done." 

The  Petrified  Forest  is  certainly  one  of  the 
" wonders  of  the  world."  It  is  an  area  over  ten  miles 
square,  covered  with  fallen  trees,  generally  broken 
into  somewhat  irregular  lengths,  scattered  in  all  con- 
ceivable positions  and  in  fragments  of  all  sizes,  the 
sections  varying  from  two  to  twenty  feet  long,  and 
in  some  places  piled  up  and  looking  almost  like  a  lot 
of  children's  cart-wheels  jumbled  up  together. 

This  Petrified  Forest  area  is  about  twenty  miles 
from  Holbrook,  Apache  County,  and  while  it  is  all 
one  area,  it  is  naturally  subdivided  into  three  parts, 
commonly  known  as  the  " Petrified  Forest,"  "Chal- 
cedony Park,"  and  "Lithodendron  (stone  trees) 
Valley."  The  latter  section  is  nearest  to  the  little 
hotel  at  Adamana,  kept  by  an  obliging  successor  of 
the  old  pioneer — Al  Stevenson  by  name.  Here  we 
were  kindly  received  and  hospitably  entertained. 
While  Mr.  Stevenson  prepared  the  teams  to  take  us 
out  to  the  forest,  his  wife  provided  us  with  an 
excellent  breakfast. 


204  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

OUT    TO    THE   PETRIFIED    FOREST 

THE  drive  was  only  five  miles  out,  and  part  of  it  was 
over  a  sort  of  plain,  although  there  were  rugged 
cliffs  to  be  seen  in  the  distance.  We  finally  reached 
these  bluffs  and  found  that  Lithodendron  Valley  is 
between  two  of  them.  As  we  drove  along  we  saw  all 
kinds  of  freaks  of  erosion  in  the  peculiar  colored  soil 
of  which  these  bluffs  are  made.  One  looked  much  like 
an  eagle  with  outspread  wings.  At  last  we  came  to 
the  petrified  trees.  There  were  literally  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  specimens  scattered  on  each  side  of 
the  valley  and  up  and  down  the  slopes.  The  valley  is 
scarcely  half  a  mile  wide,  and  there  is  practically  no 
vegetation,  the  soil  being  composed  mostly  of  clay, 
sand  and  volcanic  ash.  The  further  we  went,  the 
greater  the  quantity  of  specimens  found,  until  at  last 
we  were  surrounded  literally  by  millions  of  pieces. 
Some  of  the  fossil  trees  were  well  preserved.  The 
exposed  part  of  some  of  them  measured  from  one 
hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  feet  in  length  and 
from  two  to  four  and  a  half  feet  in  diameter.  The 
roots  of  some  were  fully  exposed,  and  the  diameter 
of  some  of  these  portions  is  not  less  than  ten  or 
twelve  feet. 

We  picked  up  one  piece  after  another,  only  to 
drop  them  for  pieces  more  desirable,  for  the  colors 
are  simply  beautiful  and  exquisite  in  the  extreme. 
The  state  of  mineralization  in  which  much  of  the 
wood  exists  almost  places  certain  pieces  among  the 
class  of  semi-precious  stones.  Not  only  are  chal- 
cedony and  agates  found  among  them,  but  many  ap- 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          205 

proach  the  condition  of  jasper  and  onyx.  So  hard  is 
the  material  that  there  was  once  a  factory  started  for 
the  purpose  of  grinding  up  these  logs  and  converting 
them  into  emery  wheels,  which  were  of  the  finest  and 
most  useful  quality. 

At  the  World's  Fair  held  in  Chicago  there  were  a 
number  of  beautiful  specimens,  highly  polished,  and 
they  were  more  beautiful  than  any  agate  or  marble. 
One  exhibit  was  of  a  very  large  fireplace  and  mantel, 
the  richness  of  which  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  con- 
ceive. There  were  also  table-tops,  clock-cases,  pedes- 
tals, paper-weights,  etc.,  and  the  high  polish  revealed 
the  rnarvelously  brilliant  colors. 

THE   PETRIFIED   BRIDGE 

ON  THE  other  side  of  one  of  the  slopes  we  came  to 
the  interesting  Petrified  Bridge.  This  consists  of  a 
great  petrified  tree-trunk  lying  across  a  canyon  and 
forming  a  natural  foot-bridge  on  which  men  may 
easily  cross.  Our  guide  has  ridden  across  it  on  a 
horse.  This  bridge  is  on  the  northeast  side  of  one 
of  the  " mesas"  near  its  rim.  The  trunk  is  in  an 
excellent  state  of  preservation  and  is  complete  to 
the  base,  where  it  is  partially  covered,  though  it 
shows  clearly  the  manner  in  which  the  roots  were 
attached  while  the  tree  was  still  growing.  The  total 
length  of  the  tree  that  is  exposed  is  one  hundred  and 
eleven  feet,  and  as  the  canyon  across  which  it  lies 
measures  at  this  point  exactly  forty-four  feet  between 
the  points  on  which  the  tree  rests,  more  than  sixty 
feet  of  the  upper  part  of  the  tree  lies  out  upon  the 


206 


A  LITTLE  JOUENEY  TO 


left  bank  of  the  canyon.  At  about  the  middle  of  the 
canyon  the  tree  measures  ten  feet  in  circumference, 
giving  a  diameter  of  about  three  feet.  Its  diameter 
at  the  base  is  about  four  feet,  and  at  the  extreme 
summit  is  reduced  to  about  eighteen  inches.  It  is 


JL 


THE    PETRIFIED    BRIDGE,    ARIZONA 


possible  that  the  tree  when  growing  measured  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five  or  two  hundred  feet  in 
height. 

As  the  accompanying  photograph  shows,  most  of 
the  trees  have  been  split  across  into  sections  or  blocks. 
There  are  four  of  these  transverse  cracks  in  the  tree 
of  the  petrified  bridge. 

Several  scientific  and  other  writers  have 
stated  that  there  are  a  number  of  stumps  to  be  found 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          207 

standing  erect,  with  their  roots  in  the  ground,  show- 
ing that  they  were  growing  and  were  buried  and  pet- 
rified on  the  spot.  But  those  who  have  rambled  over 
these  forest  areas  many  times  during  the  past  thirty 
years  say  they  have  not  found  a  single  tree  stump  so 
situated. 

We  brought  our  lunch  with  us,  so  that  we  might 
spend  the  whole  day  in  the  forest,  and  after  we  had 
eaten  heartily,  our  friendly  guide  told  us  an  amusing 
story  of  an  old  Arizona  pioneer  who  became  so  en- 
thusiastic over  the  wonders  of  Arizona  that  he  de- 
cided to  go  back  East  and  deliver  lectures  on  the  nat- 
ural wonders  and  marvels  of  this  interesting  land. 

When  he  came  to  describe  the  petrified  forest, 
this  was  the  way  he  did  it:  "Yes,  ladies  and  gentle- 
men, aout  yonder  in  Arizony  thar's  a  wonderful 
forest,  whar  the  trees  is  a  gro'in'  jess  the  same  as 
they  did  centuries  ago,  but  a-a-a-1-1  pewtrefied.  And, 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  the  roots  of  them  thar  trees  is 
a  gro'in'  away  down  in  the  graound,  jess  the  same  as 
they  did  centuries  ago,  but  a-a-a-a-1-1-1  pewtrefied: 
and  the  branches  of  them  thar  trees  is  a  grow  'in'  jess 
the  same  as  they  did  centuries  ago,  but  a-a-a-a-a-1-l-l-l 
pewtrefied :  and  flyin'  araound  in  them  thar  branches 
and  throu  the  pewtrefied  air  is  a  number  of  pewtre- 
fied byrds  asingin'  pewtrefied  songs." 

"Come!  Come!"  exclaimed  a  startled  gentleman 
in  the  audience.  "My  dear  sir,  what  do  you  mean  by 
making  such  an  outrageous  statement  as  that  ?  Pet- 
rified birds  flying  through  petrified  air,  singing  petri- 
fied songs ?  My  dear  sir,  what  becomes  of  the  law 
of  gravitation?" 


208  A  LITTLE  JOUKNEY  TO 

"Oh,  stranger,  don't  let  that  consarn  you!"  ex- 
claimed the  ready  Arizonian,  "aout  thar  the  law  of 
gravitation  is  pewtrefied,  too!" 

Some  of  us  were  very  anxious  to  learn  how  this 
Petrified  Forest  came  into  existence  and  we  listened 
with  much  interest  to  the  explanation  that  was  given. 

Many,  many  millions  of  years  ago,  in  the  far  away 
dim  ages  of  what  geologists  call  triassic  and  mesozoic 
times,  these  trees  grew,  just  as  trees  grow  in  our 
forests  today.  Evidently  the  climatic  conditions  were 
such  in  those  far  away  early  days  as  to  be  highly 
suitable  for  tree  growth,  or  these  great  trees  could 
never  have  attained  the  height  and  size  in  which  we 
find  them.  Those  were  the  days  in  which  the  world 
was  in  the  process  of  making,  and  earthquakes,  up- 
lifts, and  subsidences  of  the  earth's  surface  were 
much  more  common  than  they  are  now,  since  the 
crust  of  the  earth  has  become  more  stable.  In  some 
convulsion  of  Nature — possibly  a  great  tornado  or 
flood — the  whole  forest-area  where  these  trees  grew 
was  flooded  to  such  an  extent  and  for  so  long  a  period 
of  time  that  the  roots  of  the  trees  rotted  and  allowed 
the  trees  to  fall,  or  else  the  flood  was  so  tremendous 
in  force  that  it  washed  away  the  earth  around  the 
tree-roots  and  tore  up  the  trees  themselves,  floating 
them  away  from  the  place  where  they  grew  to  this 
region  where  we  now  find  them.  The  reason  we  as- 
sume they  were  thus  carried  away  from  the  place 
where  they  originally  grew  is  the  fact  that  the  most 
careful  searching  has  failed  to  find  few,  if  any, 
branches  of  the  trees,  and  but  very  few  of  the  cones 
that  they  used  to  bear.  It  is  assumed,  therefore,  that 


SOME  STKANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          209 

the  branches  were  broken  off  by  the  turbulent  move- 
ments of  the  flood,  and  that  when  the  darning  up  of 
the  course  of  the  stream  occurred,  which  located  the 
trees  where  we  now  find  them,  the  lighter  branches 
and  cones  were  carried  away  on  the  surface  of  the 
swirling  waters. 

Thus  lodged  in  a  place  where  they  could  not  es- 
cape, indications  point  to  the  fact  that  all  the  trees 
were  now  submerged  in  water  for  many,  many  cen- 
turies. The  land  surrounding  the  area  of  submerg- 
ence undoubtedly  contained  many  minerals,  and  as 
these  were  exposed  to  the  atmosphere  and  disinte- 
grated and  rusted,  they  colored  the  water  in  which 
the  trees  were  lying.  It  is  well  known  that  iron  rust 
is  a  deep  red ;  copper  gives  brilliant  yellows  and  pur- 
ples, while  other  minerals  give  equally  vivid  and 
beautiful  colors.  Combined  with  the  color-giving 
minerals  was  a  good  deal  of  silica  or  lime,  also  held 
in  solution  in  the  water.  By  the  exercise  of  that  won- 
derful law,  called  capillary  attraction,  the  wood  fiber, 
as  it  decayed  and  washed  away,  left  place  for  the 
water  charged  with  lime  and  the  brilliant  coloring 
matters.  Day  by  day,  week  by  week,  month  by 
month,  year  by  year,  century  by  century,  the  process 
of  change  from  wood  fiber  to  solid  stone,  beautifully 
colored,  thus  took  place,  until  all  the  wood  fiber  was 
gone  and  nothing  but  stone  left  in  its  place. 

In  the  meantime,  there  were  great  volcanic  dis- 
turbances in  this  region,  and  vast  quantities  of  vol- 
canic ash  were  cast  out  over  the  whole  area  of  this 
forest,  until  finally  the  trees  were  buried  in  it,  many 
feet  deep.  Then,  as  more  millions  of  years  slowly 


210  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

wore  away,  the  region  sank  until  sandstones,  lime- 
stones, more  sandstones  and  more  limestones  were 
washed  over  the  area  and  deposited  until  the  forest 
was  buried,  some  scientists  say,  to  a  depth  of  over 
twenty  thousand  feet. 

Then  this  period  of  subsidence  was  arrested  and 
reversed.  Mother  Nature  now  began  to  lift  the  area 
again  out  of  the  great  inland  sea  where  all  these 
layers  of  sandstone  and  limestone  had  slowly  been 
accumulated  and  deposited,  and  the  Petrified  Forest 
region  began  to  emerge  higher  and  higher.  But  this 
must  have  been  a  time  of  great  storms  and  atmos- 
pheric conflicts,  for  little  by  little,  these  sandstones 
and  limestones  that  had  so  slowly  and  patiently  ac- 
cumulated were  disintegrated  and  carried  away,  prob- 
ably to  form  the  sands  of  the  Mohave  and  Colorado 
Deserts  of  Southern  California.  Finally,  previous 
to  our  own  historic  age,  this  process  of  disintegration 
and  washing  away  of  the  accumulated  strata  of  the 
Petrified  Forest  region  was  arrested,  just  at  the  ex- 
act time  required  to  leave  these  trees  exposed  to 
man's  vision. 

While  the  forest  is  now  a  National  Park  and  thus 
guarded  from  vandalism  by  the  government,  there 
are  so  many  millions  of  fragments  scattered  about 
on  every  hand  that  no  objection  is  made  to  visitors 
taking  away  small  specimens.  So  we  all  brought  away 
several  pieces,  all  of  which  are  now  prized  as 
precious  mementoes  of  our  fascinating  and  instruc- 
tive trip. 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          211 
HOLBKOOK  AND  WINSLOW 

LEAVING  Adamana,  we  soon  reached  Holbrook,  which 
is  one  of  the  growing  towns  of  this  portion  of  Ari- 
zona. Nearby  are  several  Mormon  settlements,  and  it 
and  Winslow,  the  next  good-sized  town,  are  both  cen- 


SANTA  FE   TRAIN   CROSSING  CANYON  DIABLO,   ARIZ. 


ters  for  sheep — and  cattle — men  and  miners.  Wins- 
low  is  also  a  railway  town,  one  of  the  divisions  ter- 
minating here.  From  this  latter  place  we  gained  our 
first  fine  view  of  the  San  Francisco  peaks,  hovering 
over  the  town  of  Flagstaff,  and  on  the  shoulder  of 
which  the  Lowell  Observatory  is  located.  But  before 
reaching  Flagstaff  we  stopped  at  Canyon  Diablo — 


212  A  LITTLE  JOUENEY  TO 

the  Canyon  of  the  Devil — so-called  by  the  travelers 
who  found  its  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  of 
depth  and  five  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  width  impos- 
sible to  cross  without  a  bridge,  wearisome  to  go 
around.  It  is  a  faint  and  insignificant  suggestion  of 
what  a  real  large  canyon  is,  but  until  one  has  seen 
something  so  much  more  stupendous  as  to  dwarf  it 
into  insignificance  it  seems  to  be  a  very  profound  and 
awful  gash  in  the  earth's  surface. 

Here  we  were  cared  for  by  Mr.  F.  W.  Volz,  who 
had  undertaken  to  drive  us  out  to  Meteorite  Moun- 
tain and  then  send  us  with  his  teams  to  Hopiland, 
where  we  were  to  see  the  thrilling  Snake  Dance  of 
the  Hopi  Indians. 

Standing  in  Mr.  Volz's  doorway  and  looking  to 
the  southeast,  we  saw,  ten  miles  away,  what  appeared 
to  be  a  low,  flat  mountain.  This,  we  were  told,  is  the 
famous  Meteorite  Mountain,  from  which  a  great 
number  of  meteorites  have  been  secured,  and  around 
which  a  great  deal  of  scientific  and  other  controversy 
has  been  waged.  It  was  decided  that  we  should  visit 
this  interesting  geological  formation  before  we 
started  for  the  Hopi  Country. 

A  wagon  was  provided  and  some  saddle  horses, 
and  happy  and  merry  as  usual,  we  reached  the  moun- 
tain. Climbing  up  its  western  slope,  we  found  that 
it  was  only  about  two  hundred  feet  high  and  that 
the  top  formed  the  rim  of  an  immense  round  bowl- 
shaped  hole  in  the  ground.  This  hole  has  almost  per- 
pendicular sides  and  is  a  mile  wide  and  over  six  hun- 
dred feet  deep.  Originally  it  was  undoubtedly  much 
deeper  than  it  now  is  but  rocky  debris  has  washed  in 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES    213 

and  helped  to  fill  it  up.    The  bottom  of  the  hole  has 
a  floor  of  about  forty  acres  of  level  ground. 

Some  people  have  imagined  that  this  was  an  ex- 
tinct crater,  but  the  latest  scientific  dictum  is  that  it 
was  formed  by  the  falling  of  a  monster  meteorite, 
which  buried  itself  in  the  ground  at  this  spot.  Un- 
doubtedly after  striking  the  earth,  the  meteorite  ex- 
ploded, as  there  have  been  about  ten  tons  of  meteor- 
ites, varying  in  size  from  a  fraction  of  an  ounce  to 
over  a  thousand  pounds  in  weight,  scattered  over  a 
radius,  the  circumference  of  which  is  eight  miles 
away  from  the  mountain.  The  largest  masses  were 
found  at  the  greatest  distance. 

These  meteorites  were  also  found  to  contain  dia- 
monds. The  discovery  of  these  diamonds  came  about 
in  the  following  manner :  The  first  known  piece  of 
the  meteorite  was  picked  up  by  a  Mexican  sheep 
herder.  Owing  to  its  great  weight  and  shining  quali- 
ties, he  imagined  it  to  be  silver,  but  in  attempting  to 
dispose  of  it,  he  learned  his  mistake.  A  white  pros- 
pector afterwards  filed  upon  the  mountain,  claiming 
that  it  was  pure  iron,  and  in  his  attempt  to  dispose 
of  the  "ore,"  pieces  of  the  meteoritic  iron  were  sent 
east  and  there  fell  into  the  hands  of  Dr.  Foote  of 
Philadelphia,  the  well  known  geologist,  who  pro- 
nounced it  meteoritic  and  of  celestial  origin.  In  cut- 
ting a  section  of  this  sample,  Dr.  Foote  found  that 
his  tools  were  injured  by  something  vastly  harder 
than  the  elements  of  which  the  meteorite  was  supposed 
to  be  composed.  He,  therefore,  tested  the  specimen 
chemically  and  to  his  amazement  discovered  that  it 
contained  black  and  transparent  diamonds.  This  ex- 


214  A  LITTLE  JOUENEY  TO 

periment  was  afterwards  verified  by  other  experts 
who  found  that  three  kinds  of  diamonds  were  pres- 
ent. And  since  this  time  a  search  for  diamonds  in 
meteorites  has  occupied  the  attention  of  chemists  all 
over  the  world. 

Sometime  ago  a  company  of  scientific  men  located 
several  mineral  claims  on  Meteorite  Mountain  and 
finally  obtained  a  patent  from  the  government  for  the 
land.  Their  object  was  two-fold;  primarily  to  solve 
the  mystery,  if  possible,  and  secondly,  to  appropriate 
anything  valuable  that  might  be  found.  A  shaft 
nearly  two  hundred  feet  was  sunk,  when  a  strong  flow 
of  water  was  encountered,  which  temporarily  ob- 
structed the  work.  A  gasoline  engine  and  drill  were 
then  secured  and  put  in  operation,  and  further  drill- 
ing continued  until  another  obstacle  arrested  further 
progress.  So  far,  nothing  of  scientific  interest  has 
been  discovered,  though  the  workmen  found  two  fair- 
sized  meteorites,  weighing  one  hundred  and  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  pounds  respectively,  near  the  surface. 

ON  THE  WAY  TO  THE  HOPIS  AND  THEIR  SNAKE  DANCE. 

THE  next  morning  we  left  Canyon  Diablo  for  Oraibi, 
the  most  western  of  the  seven  villages  of  the  Hopi, 
in  two  four-horse  wagons.  In  the  far  distance  we 
could  see  the  Mogollon  Buttes — the  eroded  remnants 
of  the  great  Mogollogon  Plateau  that  used  to  occupy 
this  vast  area.  They  seemed  very  ethereal  and  dream- 
like, but  as  we  drove  further  north  their  solidity 
and  stability  was  rendered  very  evident. 

Professor  Young  jokingly  asked  Dr.  James  if  he 
could  not  arrange  to  give  us  a  series  of  remarkable 


SOME  STKANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          215 

desert  sensations  on  this  trip,  and  the  latter  readily 
responded  that  we  could  have  all  we  wanted.  Little 
did  either  of  them  think  that  we  were  going  to  have 
as  many  experiences  as  we  did  have.  Although  the 
sky  was  cloudless  and  perfectly  clear,  a  storm  must 
have  been  brewing  somewhere,  for  that  night  after 
we  camped  on  the  western  side  of  the  Little  Colorado 
River  at  Volz's  Crossing  and  had  had  our  supper,  the 
clouds  began  to  invade  the  sky.  There  was  only 
one  solitary  tree  and  we  girls  were  placed  under  it 
with  Professor  and  Mrs.  Young  near  by  as  our  guard- 
ians. The  boys  spread  their  blankets  out  where  fancy 
dictated,  while  Dr.  James  made  his  sleeping  place 
under  the  tail  end  of  the  wagon. 

We  could  not  have  been  sleeping  more  than  two 
hours  before  it  began  to  rain  and,  with  his  usual 
thoughtfulness,  our  kindly  guide  ran  around  to  each 
sleeper  to  see  that  our  blankets  were  covered  with 
waterproof  canvas.  I  suppose  I  must  have  been 
somewhat  uneasy  in  my  sleep  and  in  turning  had 
pushed  my  foot  outside  the  blankets.  All  at  once  I 
was  awakened  by  the  feel  of  something  wet  touching 
my  foot  and  looking  up,  my  eyes  fell  upon  what 
seemed  to  be  a  monster  figure  bending  over  my  bed. 
Almost  paralyzed,  I  still  managed  to  let  out  a  scream 
that  was  loud  enough  to  "wake  the  dead."  In  a  mo- 
ment Professor  Young's  calm  voice  inquired, 
' '  What 's  the  matter,  girls  ?  "  It  did  not  take  long  to 
make  clear  what  had  happened,  namely:  That  in 
spreading  the  canvas  over  my  blankets,  the  doctor's 
wet  hand  had  touched  my  foot  and  caused  the  alarm. 

We  learned  in  the  morning  that  the  boys  had 


216  A  LITTLE  JOUBNEY  TO 

spent  a  wretched  night.  There  being  no  shelter  what- 
ever for  them,  they  had  gathered  together  what  wood 
they  could  and  tried  to  keep  alive  a  struggling  little 
fire,  huddling  around  it  all  night  and  longing  for 
dawn. 

No  sooner  was  it  light  than  preparations  were 
made  for  breakfast,  and  at  the  same  time  we  learned 
what  a  treacherous  stream  the  Little  Colorado  River 
was.  We  could  easily  have  crossed  it  the  night  before 
but,  during  the  night,  it  had  risen  fully  six  or  eight 
feet,  and  now  there  was  no  possible  chance  to  cross 
unless  the  water  subsided.  This  was  what  we  first 
thought,  but  a  short  distance  from  where  we  camped 
Dr.  James  showed  us  where  Mr.  Volz  had  erected  a 
cable  crossing,  and  on  the  cable  was  suspended  a  cage, 
by  means  of  which  we  could,  if  necessary,  transport 
ourselves  and  our  wagons  to  the  other  side.  This  plan 
was  no  sooner  suggested  than  we  sought  its  accom- 
plishment. The  cage  was  a  heavy,  clumsy  affair  and 
required  a  tremendous  amount  of  muscular  effort  to 
pull  it  across,  but  the  boys  and  the  drivers  worked 
like  beavers,  and  it  was  not  long  before  our  wagons 
and  supplies  were  on  the  other  side.  We  were  then 
taken  across  and  watched  with  great  interest  the  proc- 
ess of  bringing  across  the  horses.  They  could  not 
be  lifted  up  into  the  cage,  so  two  of  them  were  tied 
in  front  and  two  behind  so  that  they  would  not  ob- 
struct each  other  when  they  began  to  swim.  The 
boys  then  started  the  cage  across  and  the  horses, 
willy  nilly,  were  compelled  to  follow.  Their  frantic 
endeavors  to  hold  back  before  they  reached  the  water 
were  amusing  and  their  desperate  endeavors  to  get 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES    217 

to  the  other  side  when  they  did  strike  the  water  were 
equally  amusing. 

The  lead  animals  of  our  wagon  were  two  mules — - 
magnificently  developed  creatures,  quite  as  large  as 
our  wheel  horses,  which  were  above  the  usual  size. 
When  it  came  to  getting  the  mules  across,  if  the  cage 
had  not  helped  by  its  weight,  pulling  them  along  by 
gravity,  I  doubt  whether  they  could  have  been  made 
to  enter  the  water.  They  held  back  with  great  stub- 
bornness, but  the  weight  of  the  cage  and  the  pulling 
of  the  boys  just  "yanked"  them  along  and  as  soon  as 
they  found  themselves  in  the  water  they  were  in  a 
bigger  hurry  than  the  horses  were  to  reach  the  other 
side. 

I  forgot  to  tell  about  the  practical  joke  Dr.  James 
played  upon  us  that  morning  at  breakfast.  The  wa- 
ter of  the  Little  Colorado  River  was  thick  with  red 
mud  so  that  it  had  the  appearance  of  very  rich  choco- 
late. Knowing  this,  he  placed  a  coffee  pot  full  of  it 
on  the  camp  fire  and  when  breakfast  was  ready,  of- 
fered to  serve  us  all  with  chocolate.  Glad  of  the 
change  from  coffee,  most  of  us  accepted  it.  But  after 
putting  in  the  usual  quantity  of  milk  and  sugar,  it 
had  a  very  peculiar  taste,  entirely  different  from  any 
chocolate  we  had  ever  drunk.  The  Doctor  sagely 
suggested  that  we  put  in  a  little  more  milk  and  sugar, 
which  we  did,  though,  naturally,  it  did  not  improve 
the  flavor  of  the  beverage  any.  At  last  the  twinkle 
in  the  Doctor's  eye  and  the  smile  on  his  face  revealed 
that  he  wyas  fooling  us  and  then  he  explained  to  us 
that  the  "substantial  body"  of  the  Little  Colorado 
River  water  was  such  that  had  we  been  willing  to 


218  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

partake  of  it,  it  would  have  supplied  us  with  both 
4  *  meat  and  drink." 

The  Little  Colorado  is  always  dangerous  to  strang- 
ers on  account  of  these  sudden  uprisings  and  the 
further  fact  that  its  bed  is  a  mass  of  quicksands. 
Horses  and  teams  have  been  known  to  be  swallowed 
up  so  quickly  that  the  most  vigorous  endeavors  at 
rescue  were  unavailing.  His  clothes  being  wet 
through,  Dr.  James  waded  into  the  stream  a  little 
way,  in  order  to  show  us  how  uncertain  the  crossing 
was.  Standing  where  the  water  was  not  more  than 
a  few  feet  deep,  he  gave  his  body  a  sudden  jerk  down- 
wards, and  almost  immediately  sank  up  to  the  mid- 
dle. We  were  somewhat  alarmed  that  he  might  find 
difficulty  in  extricating  himself,  but,  throwing  him- 
self on  his  back  towards  the  bank,  he  soon  succeeded 
in  pulling  himself  out. 

Although  we  were  somewhat  bedraggled  and  wet, 
the  sun  was  already  shining  brightly  and  our  break- 
fast had  made  us  feel  cheerful,  so  it  did  not  take  us 
long  to  get  ready  to  start.  The  rest  of  that  day  was 
beautiful.  The  rain  had  cleared  the  atmosphere  and 
it  had  made  the  sand  far  more  agreeable  to  travel 
over  and  we  camped  that  night  near  "The  Lakes," 
a  small  Navaho  and  Hopi  Indian  trading  station 
about  midway  between  Canyon  Diablo  and  Oraibi. 

AN  ARIZONA  RAINSTORM 

Next  morning  after  a  breakfast  on  the  half  of  a 
roasted  mutton  which  had  been  purchased  from  the 
Navahoes  the  night  before,  the  sky  became  overcast 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES    219 

with  the  most  white,  fleecy,  and  vividly  beautiful 
clouds  I  had  ever  seen.  They  rolled,  tumbled  and 
tossed  in  the  most  fantastic  and  yet  attractive  style, 
but  our  drivers  saw  nothing  in  them  to  give  them 
pleasure.  One  of  them,  a  Mexican,  said  they  meant 
"Muclio  agua" — much  water.  And  we  found  that 
what  he  said  was  true.  We  had  not  traveled  more 
than  an  hour  before  the  rain  began  to  descend.  At 
first  it  was  a  fierce  shower  and  we  thought  we  were 
having  a  terribly  hard  rainstorm.  Our  wagons,  how- 
ever, wyere  protected  by  bows  over  which  canvas  was 
stretched,  so  that  we  were  perfectly  dry,  although  our 
drivers  were  on  the  outside  and  we  could  soon  see 
that  they  were  wet  through.  Little  by  little  the  storm 
increased  in  fury  until,  at  last,  as  one  of  the  boys 
said:  "It  was  coming  down  in  carload  lots,  freight 
paid."  It  fairly  seemed  to  pour  down  in  sheets,  and 
in  less  than  an  hour's  time,  this  dry,  barren,  desolate, 
sandy  desert — that  seemed  as  if  it  could  swallow  up 
all  the  moisture  of  the  world — was  almost  entirely 
covered  with  water.  At  last  our  two  mules  refused 
to  travel,  and  Dr.  James  decided  to  get  out  and  take 
the  lines.  Giving  his  heavy  four-horse  whip  to  one 
of  the  boys,  he  got  him  to  sit  out  on  the  dashboard 
and  devote  his  attention,  with  the  whip,  to  the  lead 
mules,  while  he  gave  special  attention  to  the  "wheel" 
horses.  The  mules  wanted  to  turn  tail  to  the  storm, 
but  this  was  not  the  direction  we  wished  to  travel. 
For  over  two  hours  it  was  a  constant  struggle  and 
battle  between  the  men  and  the  animals.  Dr.  James 
persisted  in  going  ahead  and  the  mules  wished  to  re- 
turn. Fred  was  kept  busy,  all  the  time,  yelling  at  the 


220  A  LITTLE  JOUKNEY  TO 

mules  and  occasionally  touching  them  up  with  the 
whip,  and  in  that  fashion  we  progressed.  The  only 
way  we  could  tell  the  location  of  the  road  was  that 
it  had  fortunately  worn  itself  deep  into  the  sand  so 
that  the  bushes  left  on  either  side  indicated  where  it 
was.  This  was  our  salvation.  For  the  travel  over 
the  road  had  packed  the  sand  in  such  a  way  that  it 
prevented  it  from  becoming  quicksand,  as  a  large 
part  of  the  surrounding  country  had  become  when 
thoroughly  soaked  with  the  rain.  Had  we  left  the 
road,  we  should  probably  have  been  engulfed  in  a 
quicksand  and  never  have  reached  our  journey's  end. 
While  we  had  every  sympathy  for  Dr.  James, 
Fred  and  the  other  drivers,  we  ourselves,  being  dry 
and  warm  inside,  were  having  a  jolly  time,  but  finally, 
when  we  reached  Mr.  Volz's  trading  store  on  the 
Hopi  reservation,  a  few  miles  this  side  of  Oraibi, 
we  could  not  help  laughing  at  their  forlorn  and  be- 
draggled appearance.  They  were  not  only  wet 
through,  but  they  oozed  water.  If  you  put  your  hand 
on  one  of  their  shoulders,  immediately  a  little  stream 
flowed  out  from  the  knee  below.  The  keeper  of  the 
store  kindly  turned  over  everything  to  us,  and  so  we 
prepared  our  evening  meal  in  the  kitchen,  while  our 
wet  friends  changed  their  clothes  and  sent  out  their 
wet  garments  to  be  hung  around  and  dried.  What  a 
funny  picture  it  was ;  this  little  cramped  up  structure 
full  of  all  kinds  of  grocery  supplies  to  be  sold  to  the 
Indians,  mixed  up  with  pottery,  Indian  dolls,  Indian 
blankets,  baskets,  bows  and  arrows,  and  all  sorts  of 
things  that  had  been  secured  from  the  Indians  in 
trade,  with  wet  coats,  trousers  and  underwear  hang- 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 

ing  near  the  stove,  around  which  we  four  girls,  di- 
rected by  Professor  and  Mrs.  Young,  and  assisted 
by  the  boys,  were  cooking  supper. 

CAUGHT  IN  QUICKSAND 

But  it  would  have  taken  a  great  deal  more  than  a 
storm  like  this  to  have  dampened  our  spirits  and  trav- 
eling ardor.  There  were  still  two  hours  of  sunlight, 
and  the  storm  seemed  to  have  abated,  so  it  was  de- 
cided that  we  should  go  on.  Knowing  that  from  here 
to  Oraibi  there  was  no  possibility  of  going  over  the 
ordinary  road,  as  it  was  completely  flooded,  Dr. 
James  sent  out  for  a  couple  of  Hopis  to  come  and 
act  as  our  guides,  and  at  the  same  time  look  out  for 
quicksands  where  we  might  be  entrapped.  After 
supper  we  resumed  our  journey,  throwing  back  the 
canvas  from  our  wagons  so  that  we  could  have  a  fair 
outlook.  It  was  interesting  to  watch  the  Hopi  guides. 
Every  now  and  again  when  they  would  come  to  some 
place  down  which  the  storm- water  had  poured  in  great 
fury,  they  would  poke  into  the  ground  long  sticks, 
which  each  of  them  carried  for  the  purpose,  in  order 
to  determine  whether  a  real  quicksand  existed  or  it 
was  only  the  surface  that  was  affected  by  the  water. 
At  last  we  came  to  a  place  that  looked  like  the  bed  of 
a  dry  ravine.  The  first  wagon,  which  Dr.  James  was 
driving,  halted  on  the  edge  while  the  Hopis  probed 
to  find  out  whether  it  was  safe  to  attempt  to  cross. 
When  the  Indians  called  out,  "La-lo-mi"  —  good — 
he  started  up  the  animals.  We  seemed  to  be  going 
across  all  right,  and  the  mules  actually  reached  the 


222  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

other  side  in  safety,  when  all  at  once,  just  as  if  the 
surface  were  brittle  piecrust,  it  gave  way,  and  almost 
in  a  moment  the  two  horses  were  down  to  their  bellies 
and  the  wagon  up  to  its  bed. 

"Out  for  your  lives!"  yelled  Dr.  James,  and  al- 
most as  quickly  as  I  can  tell  the  story,  we  had  leaped 
out  and  the  boys  were  throwing  out  the  contents  of 
the  wagon  on  to  the  dry  sand  at  the  rear.  "While  this 
was  being  done,  Dr.  James,  flat  on  his  back,  was  un- 
hitching the  harness  of  the  "wheel"  horses.  He 
afterwards  explained  that  he  stretched  out  on  his 
back  in  order  to  prevent  himself  being  engulfed.  He 
had  already  placed  one  of  the  boys  at  the  head  of  the 
mules  and  had  given  instructions  to  the  other  driver, 
who  brought  a  long  heavy  rope,  and  was  making  a 
loop  of  it  on  the  rear  axle.  As  soon  as  the  horses  were 
free  from  the  wagon,  a  fewr  sharp  blows  from  the 
whip  encouraged  them  to  extricate  themselves,  especi- 
ally as  they  were  still  fastened  to  the  mules,  which 
were  urged  forward  at  the  same  time  and  thus  helped 
drag  them  out.  Circling  around  so  as  to  avoid  the 
quicksand,  the  four  animals  were  brought  back  to 
the  rear  end  of  the  wagon  and  the  rope  from  the  axle 
tied  to  the  stretchers.  The  four  horses  from  the 
other  wagon  were  then  fastened  ahead  of  our  four 
animals.  While  this  was  being  done,  orders  had  been 
given  for  the  boys  to  spread  the  rolls  of  bedding 
around  the  rapidly  sinking  wagon,  so  that  they  could 
be  stood  upon  while  help  could  be  given  to  lift  the 
wagon,  when  the  horses  were  made  to  pull.  When 
everything  was  ready,  the  two  Mexicans,  holding  the 
lines  and  driving  the  two  four-horse  teams.  Dr. 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 


223 


James  hanging  on  to  the  pole  so  as  to  steer  the  wagon 
out,  and  all  of  us  lifting  wherever  we  could,  the  cry 
was  given,  "Out  with  it!"  The  drivers  yelled  like 
demons,  their  whips  cracked  angrily,  the  horses  and 
mules  pulled  as  if  they  were  possessed  and  in  ten  sec- 


THE  HOPI  PUEBLO   OF   ORAIBI,   ARIZ. 


onds  the  wagon  was  rolled  back  upon  the  solid  sand. 
Had  there  been  any  time  wasted,  it  would  have 
been  impossible  to  get  ourselves  extricated.  Nothing 
but  promptitude  and  knowing  what  to  do,  and  how 
to  do  it,  could  have  accomplished  our  release  in  so 
short  a  time.  And  when  the  tension  was  over,  we 


224  A  LITTLE  JOUKNEY  TO 

congratulated  ourselves,  almost  to  tears,  at  our  happy 
release. 

Circling  above  and  around  the  dangerous  spot, 
we  passed  it  in  safety  and  had  no  further  particular 
adventure  until  we  reached  the  foot  of  the  mesa  upon 
which  Oraibi  stands.  It  had  begun  to  rain  again  and 
sleeping  out  of  doors  was  out  of  the  question,  so  ar- 
rangements were  made  whereby  we  were  enabled  to 
occupy  the  only  Indian  vacant  house  there  was.  It 
was  an  adobe  structure  of  one  single  room.  And  in 
that  room  our  blankets  were  stretched  out  and, 
packed  like  sardines  in  a  box,  we  went  to  sleep.  We 
four  girls  were  on  one  side,  followed  by  Mrs.  Young 
and  the  Professor,  then  the  four  boys  and  one  of  the 
Mexican  drivers.  D«r.  James  and  the  other  driver 
had  to  be  contented  by  stretching  out  at  right  angles 
at  our  feet. 

UP  TO  ORAIBI 

The  next  morning  we  were  up  bright  and  early 
and  after  getting  all  our  belongings  thoroughly  dried 
we  started  for  the  village,  which  was  perched  high 
on  the  mesa  top  several  hundred  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  surrounding  desert.  The  last  part  of  the  trail 
we  had  to  climb  between  rocks,  where  the  pathway 
had  been  hewn  out,  somewhat  after  the  style  of  the 
Acoma  trail.  As  soon  as  we  reached  the  top  of  this 
rock  the  village  was  spread  out  before  us. 

This  is  the  largest  as  well  as  the  most  western  of 
the  Hopi  villages  or  towns.  It  has  a  population  of 
about  one  thousand.  While  in  many  respects  the  life 
is  similar  to  that  of  the  pueblo  Indians  at  Acoma, 


SOME  STBANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 


225 


Laguna  and  Zuni,  there  are  many  points  of  differ- 
ence, all  of  which  it  would  be  interesting  to  note.  But 
we  were  here  particularly  to  see  the  Snake  Dance. 
This  is  the  Hopis '  prayer  for  rain.  It  is  conducted  in 
five  of  the  seven  villages,  but  in  each  village  only 
every  two  years.  It  alternates  each  year  with  an- 


Copyright  by  George  Wharton  James 

ANTELOPE  ALTAR,   ORAIBI,   ARIZ. 


other  most  interesting  ceremony  called  the  Flute 
Dance,  which  is  also  a  prayer  that  an  abundance  of 
water  may  come  up  from  the  interior  of  the  earth  into 
the  springs  and  creeks. 

The  open  air  dance,  which  we  were  about  to  see,  is, 
in  reality,  only  a  very  small  part  of  this  elaborate 


226  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

prayer  for  rain.  For  nine  days  and  nights  secret 
ceremonies  transpired  in  the  sacred  kivas  of  the  Ante- 
lope and  Snake  clans,  to  whom  has  been  especially 
committed  the  charge  of  these  particular  prayers  and 
ceremonies.  No  person,  not  even  a  Hopi,  unless  he  be 
a  member  of  one  or  the  other  of  these  clans,  is  per- 
mitted to  see  the  sacred  kiva  ceremonies.  The  Hopis 
firmly  believe  that,  if  any  person  not  authorized  to 
participate  in  them  even  so  much  as  stands  on  the  top 
of  the  kiva  and  peeps  down  the  ladder-way,  one  of 
two  awful  punishments  will  happen  to  him.  He  will 
either  find  a  great  horn,  like  a  cornucopia,  growing 
out  of  his  forehead  through  which,  little  by  little,  the 
whole  of  his  abdominal  viscera,  etc.,  will  be  with- 
drawn, or  he  will  "swell  up  and  bust."  Dr.  James, 
however,  being  a  member  of  the  Antelope  clan,  was 
given  free  access  to  both  the  Snake  kiva  and  the 
Antelope  kiva  and  as  we  stood  near  the  top  when  he 
went  down,  we  could  distinctly  hear  the  low  hum- 
ming song  of  the  priests,  gradually  swelling  to  a 
crescendo  and  then  diminishing  until  its  sound 
scarcely  reached  our  ears. 

It  was  explained  to  us  that  these  sacred  ceremo- 
nies consisted  largely  in  singing,  prayers,  and  the 
dramatic  representation  in  song  of  the  history  of  their 
mythical  ancestor-hero  Tiyo,  and  the  way  in  which 
he  was  instructed  by  "Those  Above"  in  these  rain- 
producing  ceremonies.  Part  of  the  time,  on  four 
separate  days,  is  occupied  by  the  priests  in  going  to 
the  four  quarters,  north,  south,  east  and  west,  hunting 
for  the  snakes  or  "Elder  Brothers"  as  the  Hopis 
firmly  regard  them. 


SOME  STKANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 


227 


At  noon  on  the  ninth  day,  which  was  the  day  of  our 
arrival,  the  ceremony  of  Washing  the  Snakes  takes 
place  in  the  kiva.  At  this  time  all  the  snakes  that 
have  been  gathered  are  solemnly  dipped  by  the  chief 
priests  into  a  bowl  of  sacred  water,  while  other  priests 


SNAKE  DANCE,  ORAIBI,  ARIZ.,   SHOWING  LINES  OF  ANTELOPE  AND 

SNAKE   PRIESTS 


pray  and  sing.  It  is  a  thrilling  ceremony  and  though 
fully  described  to  us,  it  would  occupy  too  much  space 
to  reproduce  here. 


THE  HOPI  SNAKE  DANCE 


Just  before  sunset,  the  open  air  public  dance  be- 
gins. To  this  everybody  is  welcome,  and  the  result  is 
that  the  housetops  around  the  plaza  are  crowded  with 
spectators.  Hopis,  Navahoes,  Havasupais  and  other 


228 


A  LITTLE  JOUKNEY  TO 


Indians,  together  with  white  men  and  women  who 
have  gathered  from  all  parts  of  the  globe  assemble 
early  in  the  afternoon  so  that  they  may  have  a  good 
point  of  vantage  from  which  to  watch  the  ceremonies. 
We  were  well  located  so  that  we  were  able  to  see  prac- 
tically everything  that  transpired,  and  as  everything 


Copyright  by  George  Wharton  James 

ON    A    HOPI    HOUSETOP,    ARIZONA 

had  been  thoroughly  described  to  us,  we  were  pre- 
pared to  observe  intelligently. 

When  all  was  ready  the  chief  priest  of  the  Ante- 
lope clan,  followed  by  all  the  other  priests,  ascended 
from  their  Mv a  and  then  solemnly  marched  in  single 
file  to  the  dance  plaza.  Here  a  cottonwood  bower  had 


SOME  STEANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 


229 


been  erected,  the  lower  part  of  which  was  surrounded 
with  a  wide  strip  of  canvas.  This  bower  is  called  the 
ki-si.  In  this  ki-si  the  snakes  had  already  been  placed 
that  were  to  be  used  in  the  dance,  and  were  in  charge 
of  the  Warrior  Priest. 

As  soon  as  the  Antelope  Priests  reached  the  ki-si, 


Copyright  by  George  Wharton  James 

A  GROUP  OF  SNAKE  PRIESTS  CARRYING  DEADLY  SNAKES,  HOPI 
SNAKE  DANCE,  ARIZONA 


they  circled  three  times,  and  then  lined  up  in  a 
straight  row  with  their  backs  to  the  ki-si,  singing  and 
shaking  their  rattles  during  the  whole  time.  In  a 
short  time  the  Snake  priests  followed  in  single  file 
from  their  kiva,  circled  in  front  of  the  ki-si  as  the 


230  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

Antelope  priests  had  done  and  then  formed  their  line 
facing  the  Antelope  priests,  a  distance  of  about  three 
feet  away.  Then  for  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  they 
sang  and  went  through  a  number  of  fascinating, 
rhythmic  movements  that,  for  want  of  a  better  name, 
we  call  a  dance. 

Now,  at  a  signal  from  the  Chief  Snake  Priest,  his 
line  of  priests  broke  up  into  groups  of  three,  while 
the  Antelope  priests  still  remained  in  line.  Solemnly 
advancing  towards  the  ki-si  the  leader  of  the  first 
group  knelt  and  received  from  the  Warrior  Priest 
within,  a  writhing,  wriggling  snake.  Carefully  and 
deliberately  placing  this  between  his  teeth,  and  hold- 
ing it  there,  he  arose,  while  the  second  man  of  his 
group  placed  his  arm  around  his  neck.  Now,  fol- 
lowed by  the  third  member  of  the  group,  stroking 
each  of  them  with  his  feather- whip,  the  group  began 
the  circuit  of  the  dance  plaza,  while  the  second  group 
advanced  to  the  ki-si  and  in  turn  received  a  snake.  As 
they  secured  their  reptile  and  began  to  circle,  the 
third  group  advanced  and  so  on  until  all  the  groups 
were  supplied  with  a  snake.  In  the  meantime  the 
carrier  of  the  snake  of  the  first  group,  as  soon  as  he 
had  gone  about  two-thirds  of  the  circuit,  took  the 
snake  from  his  mouth  and  placed  it  upon  the  ground, 
resuming  the  dance  and  circling  again  to  the  ki-si, 
where  he  secured  a  fresh  snake.  It  then  became  the 
duty  of  the  third  man  of  each  group  to  pick  up  from 
the  ground  the  snakes  that  had  been  placed  down. 
Sometimes  this  act  of  picking  them  up  was  quite 
exciting,  as  the  snakes  would  coil  and  threaten  to 
strike.  When  they  did  this,  the  " gatherer"  gently 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          231 

stroked  them  with  his  snake-whip,  the  feathers  of 
which  tickled  them  and  led  them  to  try  to  escape. 
The  moment  they  were  uncoiled  they  were  seized  and 
placed  in  the  left  hand  of  the  gatherer  with  as  much 
unconcern  and  indifference  as  if  they  were  pieces  of 
inanimate  rope. 

In  this  fashion  the  dance  continued  until  all  the 
snakes  had  Been  used,  after  which  they  were  thrown 
into  a  circle  described  on  the  ground  by  the  chief 
priest  with  sacred  meal.  Here  they  were  prayed  over 
for  a  few  minutes,  sprinkled  with  more  meal  and 
sacred  water  and  then  at  a  given  signal  the  Snake 
Priests  made  a  wild  grab  into  the  writhing,  rattling, 
wriggling  mass,  each  one  picking  up  as  many  snakes 
in  each  hand  as  he  could  seize,  and  after  allowing 
himself  a  moment  or  two  to  straighten  out  the  snakes 
in  his  hands,  dashed  down  the  steep  trails,  some  in 
one  direction  and  some  in  another,  to  certain  desig- 
nated spots  in  the  desert  beneath,  where,  reverently 
putting  the  snakes  down  and  praying  over  them,  they 
left  them,  with  the  expectation  that  they  would  con- 
vey to  the  "Snake  Mother"  in  the  Underworld,  all 
the  prayers  that  had  been  uttered  by  the  Hopis  dur- 
ing these  ceremonies  in  their  hearing.  Then,  hastily 
returning  to  their  kivas  each  priest  took  a  large  drink 
of  a  liquid  that  looks  much  like  cold  tea.  This  was 
evidently  for  the  purpose  of  producing  vomiting,  for, 
almost  immediately  after  drinking,  the  priests  knelt 
down  in  a  row  for  that  purpose.  As  soon  as  the 
vomiting  was  done,  they  were  washed  down  with 
water  brought  for  the  purpose  by  the  women  and  then 
retired  to  the  secrecy  of  the  kiva,  there  to  feast  upon 


232 


A  LITTLE  JOUBNEY  TO 


certain  delicacies  prepared  for  them  by  the  women, 
thus  terminating  the  ceremony. 

Naturally   I   have   described   everything   in   the 
briefest  and  most  inadequate  terms,  but  those  who 


A  HOPI  MOTHER  AND  CHILD,    ORAIBI,   ARIZ. 

wish  to  know  more  about  this  most  wierd  and  thrill- 
ing ceremony  can  not  do  better  than  secure  Dr. 
James's  book,  "The  Indians  of  the  Painted  Desert 
Region,"  in  which  the  whole  ceremonial  is  thoroughly 
and  accurately  described. 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          233 
A  DESERT  SAND  STORM 

ON  OUR  return  to  Canyon  Diablo  we  had  another 
experience,  thus  fulfilling  the  promise  that  had  been 
made  that  we  should  have  specimens  of  all  that  the 
desert  had  to  offer.  We  had  driven  about  twenty 
miles,  noticing,  however,  on  the  way,  several  wagons 
and  buggies  that  had  been  mired  in  the  quicksand 
that,  at  the  time  of  the  storm,  had  so  nearly  entrapped 
us.  Suddenly,  in  the  far-away  west,  there  appeared 
a  dark,  cloudlike  wave  which  seemed  to  be  moving 
slowly  in  our  direction.  It  was  reasonably  clear  and 
calm  all  around  us  and  none  of  us  could  understand 
what  this  wave-like  appearance  meant  until  we  were 
told  that  it  was  a  sand-storm  approaching  us  with 
considerable  rapidity.  We  hastened  our  teams  along, 
hoping  to  reach  a  spring,  where  we  intended  to  stay 
for  our  noon  lunch,  before  the  storm  arrived.  But 
our  efforts  were  vain.  When  about  a  mile  off,  the 
gigantic  wave  of  fluid  sand,  which  by  now  reached 
from  the  earth  to  so  high  in  the  sky  as  completely  to 
obliterate  everything  else,  surrounded  us  with  its  dis- 
comforting fury.  The  animals  positively  refused  to 
go  any  further,  so  that  we  were  compelled  to  unhar- 
ness them  and  wait  the  abating  of  the  stoam.  In 
order  somewhat  to  mitigate  its  fury,  canvas  was 
stretched  from  wagon  to  wagon,  behind  which  we 
sheltered  ourselves,  but  the  force  of  the  wind  can  be 
understood  when  I  state  that,  while  we  were  thus 
sheltered,  one  piece  of  the  canvas  was  seized  by  the 
wind  and  ripped  up  the  center  as  if  it  had  been  a 
sheet  of  tissue  paper. 


234  A  LITTLE  JOUENEY  TO 

Here  we  stayed  for  about  three  hours,  when,  some 
of  us  growing  hungry,  we  asked  if  we  could  not  be 
provided  with  food.  Laughingly  our  guide  ques- 
tioned if  we  knew  what  we  were  asking  for.  With 


THE    SAN    FRANCISCO    MOUNTAINS,    NEAR    FLAGSTAFF,    ARIZ. 

some  indignation  we  replied  that  we  thought  we  did. 
Immediately  he  went  to  the  " grub-box,"  and  taking 
therefrom  a  sack  of  buttered  biscuits,  gave  one  to 
each  of  us,  together  with  an  orange.  We  now  under- 
stood the  meaning  of  his  question,  for,  as  we  tried  to 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES         235 

eat,  the  sand  got  into  our  mouths  so  that  it  was  prac- 
tically impossible.  The  only  thing  we  could  do  was 
to  suck  our  oranges  and  patiently  await  the  sub- 
sidence of  the  storm. 

This  occurred  in  due  time  and  we  were  able  to 
reach  a  satisfactory  camping-place  that  night,  and 
the  following  day  caught  the  train  at  Canyon  Diablo 
for  Flagstaff. 

FLAGSTAFF  AND  THE  LOWELL  OBSERVATORY 

FLAGSTAFF  certainly  has  as  picturesque  a  location  as 
any  of  the  Arizona  towns  or  cities  we  saw  on  the  trip. 
Situated  on  the  foot-hills  of  the  San  Francisco  Moun- 
tains, which  tower  over  them  to  a  height  of  over 
11,000  feet,  and  surrounded  by  forests  of  juniper, 
pine  and  other  mountain  trees,  it  is  rugged,  pic- 
turesque and  healthful. 

The  town  has  a  large  lumber-mill.  It  daily  saws 
up  many  hundreds  of  thousands  of  feet  of  lumber 
which  it  sends  east  and  west  all  over  the  country. 
Flagstaff  used  to  be  one  of  the  points  from  which 
stages  ran  to  the  Grand  Canyon,  but  owing  to 
the  building  of  the  Grand  Canyon  Railway  from 
Williams  in  the  year  1900,  the  stage  route  is  now 
seldom  used. 

Perched  on  a  summit  overlooking  the  town  is  the 
Lowell  Observatory,  so  named  after  the  well-known 
astronomer,  Percival  Lowell,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  whose 
observations  and  writings  on  the  planet  Mars  have 
excited  interest  not  only  among  scientists  but 


236  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

throughout  the  lay  world  as  well.  We  visited  the 
observatory  and  were  kindly  received  by  the  astron- 
omer in  charge  and  given  every  opportunity  to  see 
the  methods  by  which  the  observations  and  photo- 
graphs were  taken. 


CLIFF   DWELLINGS,    WALNUT   CANYON 


TO  THE  CLIFF  AND  CAVE  DWELLINGS 

OUR  chief  object,  however,  in  stopping  off  at  Flag- 
staff was  to  drive  out  to  the  Cliff  and  Cave  Dwellings. 
We  went  to  these  latter  places  first.  We  found  them 
to  be  nothing  but  good  sized  holes,  mainly  found  in 
the  lava  deposits  on  the  tops  of  some  of  the  smaller 


SOME  STEANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          237 

volcanic  peaks  east  and  south  of  the  main  San  Fran- 
cisco range.  There  were  quite  a  number  of  them 
and  near  the  most  remote  of  those  visited  we  picked 
up  a  number  of  pieces  of  pottery  and  saw  several 
broken  me-ta-tes  or  grinding-stones  which  evidently 
had  seen  much  service. 

We  then  left  for  Walnut  Canyon,  to  see  the  Cliff 
Dwellings,  some  ten  or  a  dozen  miles  away,  passing 
on  the  road  a  very  deep  hole,  locally  known  as  the 
Bottomless  Pit,  and  then  after  driving  a  mile  or  two 
over  a  beautifully  wooded  plain,  we  came  to  Walnut 
Canyon.  Here  we  camped,  and,  after  taking  lunch, 
proceeded  to  climb  down  its  steep  slopes  to  the  nar- 
row shelf  on  which  the  Cliff  Dwellings  were  located. 
They  were  all  of  the  same  type.  The  under  portion 
of  the  thick  stratum  of  rock,  being  much  softer  than 
the  upper  portion,  had  eroded  back  to  a  depth  of 
eight,  ten  and  even  twelve  feet  from  the  face  of  the 
cliff.  These  natural  excavations  seem  to  have  been 
perfectly  prepared  for  the  Indians  who  wished  to 
use  them.  Building  up  a  wall  in  front  and  dividing 
walls  at  right  angles,  the  excavations  thus  formed 
floor  and  ceiling  and  the  dwelling  was  complete.  We 
found  a  number  of  these  dwellings  in  this  canyon, 
and  at  Flagstaff,  on  our  return,  were  shown  many 
pieces  of  pottery,  arrowheads,  stone  and  flint  ham- 
mers, axes,  ears  of  corn,  etc,  which  had  been  exca- 
vated from  them. 

While  there  are  many  local  differences  in  the  cliff 
ruins  throughout  the  Southwest,  they  are  mostly  of 
this  simple  and  primitive  type. 


238  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

ON   TO   WILLIAMS 

TAKING  the  train  again,  it  was  a  comparatively  short 
ride  to  Williams,  where  we  were  to  take  train  for 
the  Grand  Canyon.  Here,  also,  we  found  the  lumber 
industry  quite  active  and  thriving.  A  large  mill  is 
in  constant  operation,  superintended  by  Mr.  W.  F. 
Dermont,  who  used  to  be  a  noted  lumberman  of 
Michigan,  and  who  kindly  extended  to  us  the  cour- 
tesy of  the  mill.  We  saw  the  logs  rapidly  skidded 
up  by  machinery  to  the  saw,  and  there  in  a  few  swift 
backward  and  forward  motions  of  the  log-carriage 
and  the  sudden  whirl  of  the  saw,  we  witnessed  the 
rapid  slicing  off  of  the  bark  slabs  and  then  the  cut- 
ting of  the  good  timber  into  planks  of  whatever  size 
they  were  best  suited  for. 

We  wished  we  could  climb  to  the  summit  of 
Williams  mountain,  named  after  Bill  Williams,  one 
of  Fremont's  scouts,  of  whom  we  heard  many  inter- 
esting stories  on  our  trip;  but  our  time  was  too 
limited  and  the  Grand  Canyon  was  our  chief  object. 

After  one  of  Fred  Harvey's  excellent  meals, 
served  at  the  Fray  Marcos  Hotel,  we  boarded  the 
Grand  Canyon  train,  which  runs  sixty-three  miles 
north,  to  the  very  edge  of  the  great  abyss. 

When  the  varied  objects  were  pointed  out  to  us  as 
we  journeyed  along,  even  this  part  of  the  road  was 
interesting;  but  we  were  not  much  in  the  mood  to 
look  at  lesser  things  when  we  were  so  near  to  the 
great  canyon  which  we  were  told  is  "the  most  stu- 
pendous piece  of  natural  scenery  on  earth."  We 
Americans  are  so  used  to  saying  big  things  about 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          239 

our  own  big  country,  that  sometimes  we  were  a  little 
afraid  this  might  be  true  about  the  Grand  Canyon, 
but  Dr.  James,  who  has  visited  it  regularly  for  over 
twenty  years,  assured  us  that  it  would  surpass  all 
our  expectations  and  that  we  did  not  need  to  be 
alarmed.  As  we  approached  nearer  to  the  canyon 
we  could  tell  from  the  puffing  of  our  engine  that  we 
were  going  up  grade.  For  several  miles  this  grade 
continued  until  the  very  "rim"  of  the  canyon  was 
reached — nobody  calls  it  "edge"  here ;  the  only  word 
used  is  '  *  rim. ' '  We  were  soon  at  El  Tovar,  the  hotel 
which  is  perched  almost  on  the  edge  of  the  south  rim. 
As  soon  as  the  train  stopped  we  piled  out  as  rapidly 
as  possible  and  climbed  up  the  steps  that  led  to  the 
hotel.  We  did  not  need  to  ask  where  the  canyon  was, 
for  the  moment  we  stood  on  the  front  porch  the 
great,  vast,  majestic,  sublime  abyss  was  opened  up 
before  us. 

Lots  of  people  say  that  "where  the  Canyon 
begins,  words  end,"  but,  all  the  same,  I  am  going 
to  try  to  put  into  words  that  which  I  saw;  or  else 
how  can  you  have  any  idea  of  the  impressions  that  I 
received  ? 

An  irregular  stone  wall  about  two  feet  high  has 
been  built  on  the  very  edge,  and  on  this  you  can  sit 
while  you  try  to  grasp  some  idea  of  the  wonderful 
sight  that  is  before  us.  From  where  we  sat  to  the 
corresponding  point  on  the  opposite  side  is  thirteen 
miles  in  an  air  line.  Our  elevation  was  6,863  feet. 
The  north  wall  is  8,300  feet.  That  is  a  part  of  the 
great  Kaibab  plateau,  which  is  the  highest  portion 
of  the  whole  canyon  system.  Somewhere  between 


240  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

the  awful  depths  between  these  walls  which  are  so 
far  apart  dashes  the  surging  Colorado  River  on  its 
way  from  the  mountains  to  the  sea. 

Can  you  imagine  the  banks  of  a  river  so  far  apart  ? 
And  we  have  to  take  the  river  on  faith,  for  we  cannot 
even  see  it.  Sometimes,  when  it  is  especially  noisy 
and  everything  on  the  rim  is  quiet,  one  can  hear  its 
sullen  roar.  But  we  have  to  go  to  other  outlook 
points  before  we  can  get  any  sight  of  it  at  all. 

The  first  thing  that  arrested  our  attention  was 
that  the  main  color  of  the  walls  is  red.  The  walls 
do  not  go  sheer  up  and  down,  as  some  of  us  had 
thought.  They  are  broken  up,  as  it  were,  in  all  kinds 
of  confused  ways,  and  yet  we  could  see  that  if  the 
two  sides  of  the  canyon  were  pushed  together,  and 
made  to  conform  in  elevation,  the  bands  of  limestone 
and  sandstone  on  the  north  rim  would  fit  similar 
bands  on  the  south  rim. 

As  I  sat  on  the  banks  of  the  canyon  all  alone  one 
morning  with  Dr.  James's  book,  "The  Grand  Canyon 
of  Arizona, ' '  in  my  hand,  this  is  what  I  wrote : 

"About  the  best  way  I  can  describe  the  canyon 
is  to  ask  you  to  imagine  yourself  standing  on  the 
top  of  the  highest  peak  of  a  long  mountain  range. 
Everybody  knows,  generally  speaking,  how  a  moun- 
tain range  looks.  Now  try  to  suppose  that  the  top- 
most part  of  this  range  has  a  hinge,  and  that  you 
are  able  suddenly  to  lift  up  each  side  of  the  mountain 
slope  until  the  hinged  summit  ridge  has  become  the 
deep  trench  of  a  rude  *  V  shaped  gorge,  and  then  that 
this  whole  mass  of  the  inverted  range  is  thrust  deep 
down  into  the  earth  at  your  feet.  This  is  a  rude  sug- 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          241 

gestion  of  what  the  canyon  is ;  but  the  eye  now  begins 
to  take  in  the  fact  that  this  deep  inverted  mountain 
range  is  composed  of  rude  steps,  as  it  were,  three 
hundred,  five  hundred,  a  thousand  feet  high,  and  of 
slightly  differing  colors,  but  where  red  predominates, 
and  that  they  are  cut  into  all  kinds  of  conceivable 
and  inconceivable  shapes,  gigantic  in  size,  fantastic 
in  form,  and  truly  unlike  anything  we  have  ever 
seen  before." 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  and  the  sun  was  close 
upon  setting,  so  that  great  purple  shadows  were  cast, 
and  these  enabled  our  guide  to  point  out  some  of 
the  tremendous  and  fantastic  forms  and  nature 
sculpturings  that  he  said  he  would  show  to  us  so 
much  more  clearly  when  we  rode  down  the  trail  to 
the  river.  He  had  already  promised  that  we  were 
to  stay  here  a  full  week,  possibly  more ;  for  he  says 
that  this  is  the  only  way  to  get  a  fairly  reasonable 
idea  of  the  marvels  and  wonders  of  this  stupendous 
gorge. 

Before  us,  slightly  to  the  right,  we  saw  a  break  in 
the  North  wall.  This  is  Bright  Angel  Canyon,  and 
down  it  flows  a  beautiful  clear  stream  called  Bright 
Angel  Creek.  To  the  right  of  this  we  could  clearly 
see  three  massive  towers.  The  nearest  is  an  angular 
mass  of  solid  rocks  which  slopes  backward  in  a 
singular  fashion.  This  is  called  Zoroaster  Temple 
and  is  7,136  feet  in  elevation.  Close  behind  it  is  a 
more  beautiful  and  stately  structure,  Brahma 
Temple,  which  is  7,554  feet  high.  Behind  Brahma 
is  another  great  mass,  which  at  first  we  were  not 
able  to  see  clearly,  although  we  were  assured  that  it 


242  A  LITTLE  JOUKNEY  TO 

is  separated  from  the  north  wall  by  a  distance  of 
several  miles.  To  us  it  looked  as  if  it  were  a  part 
of  that  wall.  It  is  Deva  Temple,  7,354  feet  high. 

To  the  left  of  Bright  Angel  Gorge,  almost  oppo- 
site Brahma,  is  Buddha  Temple,  7,218  feet  in  height, 
while  below  it  is  Buddha  Cloister.  Behind  is  Manu 
Temple,  7,192  feet.  To  the  left  of  Buddha  is  a  quaint 
and  peculiarly  shaped  temple  named  Cheops  Pyra- 
mid, 5,350  feet  high.  Just  above  and  farther  to  the 
left  is  a  peculiar  yet  beautiful  temple,  with  two  great 
cloisters  in  front  of  it,  and  it  is  named  Isis  Temple. 
Its  elevation  is  7,028  feet.  Beyond  it  is  the  grandest 
and  most  stupendous  of  all  the  buttes  of  this  part 
of  the  canyon.  This  is  7,650  feet  high.  Its  mass 
alone  is  as  great  as  Mount  Washington,  the  chief 
peak  of  the  White  Mountains  in  New  Hampshire 
and  the  highest  mountain  of  all  the  United  States 
east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Yet  here  Shiva's 
Temple  was  but  a  comparatively  small  and  insig- 
nificant portion  of  the  rocky  scenery  that  was  spread 
out  before  us.  It  is  a  singular  and  never-to-be- 
forgotten  fact  that  the  tops  of  these  mountain  masses 
are  at  about  the  same  elevation  as  the  ground  on 
which  we  stand,  and  their  bases  are  "way  down"  in 
the  heart  of  the  canyon  in  that  deep  " somewhere," 
the  bottom  of  which  we  had  yet  to  see.  Some  of 
the  walls  of  Shiva's  Temple  are  as  absolutely  pre- 
cipitous as  the  Bunker  Hill  monument  and  three  or 
four  times  as  high. 

To  the  west  of  Isis  are  Horus  and  Osiris  temples. 
The  former  is  6,150  and  the  latter  6,637  feet.  In 
front  of  Horus  is  a  tower,  or  symmetrical  struc- 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES    243 

ture,  5,997  feet  high,  which  is  called  Rah  Pyramid. 
Although  it  is  over  a  mile  high,  it  looks  very  insig- 
nificant in  this  scenery. 

We  were  told  that  this  canyon  is  217  miles  long. 
But  that  is  only  the  length  of  the  river  in  this  part 
of  the  canyon.  As  we  looked  at  the  great  walls 
opposite  us,  winding  in  and  out  of  deep  recesses  and 
curving  around  vast  amphitheaters,  it  seemed  to  be 
no  exaggeration  to  imagine  that  if  they  were  "  ironed 
out"  into  a  straight  line  they  would  be  pretty  nearly 
long  enough  to  completely  encircle  the  earth. 

Having  taken  in  all  these  vast  rocky  features 
which  were  before  us,  our  eyes  naturally  dropped  to 
what  appeared  to  be  the  lowest  part  of  the  canyon 
nearest  to  us.  This  is  a  great  plateau  called  Angel 
Plateau.  Its  elevation  is  3,876  feet.  So  we  were 
looking  down  a  sheer  three  thousand  feet  less  ten. 
In  what  seemed  to  be  about  the  center  of  this  plateau 
was  a  beautiful  green  patch  which  we  were  told  is 
called  Indian  Garden.  Here,  years  ago,  the  Hava- 
supai  Indians  used  to  cultivate  a  little  ground 
wherein  they  grew  their  melons,  squash,  onions, 
beans  and  chili.  Now  the  white  people  use  it  as  a 
garden  for  growing  watermelons,  cantaloupes  and 
the  smaller  vegetables  which  form  tasty  additions 
to  the  lunches  that  those  who  ride  down  the  canyon 
generally  bring  with  them  from  the  hotel. 

While  we  were  looking  at  all  these  things  the  sun 
was  sinking  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  horizon.  The 
deeper  it  got,  the  more  intense  and  black  became  the 
shadows  in  the  canyon,  and,  strange  to  say,  the  more 
clearly  we  were  able  to  pick  out  the  towers  and 


244 


A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 


temples  that  at  first  sight  looked  so  indistinct  and 
hazy.  And,  oh,  the  brilliant  colorings  of  the  heavens 
and  the  earth !  They  seemed  to  combine  to  make  one 
gorgeous  mass  of  splendid  and  variegated  color  such 


,- 

EL  TOVAR  HOTEL,  GRAND  CANYON 

as  we  had  never  seen  before.  All  of  our  attention 
was  then  arrested  by  the  sunset.  Darts  of  brilliant 
red,  fiery  opal,  gleams  of  scintillating  brightness, 
threatening  arms  of  inky  blackness,  reds,  pinks, 
oranges,  golds,  chocolates,  greens  and  grays,  com- 
mingled, broke  away,  changed,  united,  dispersed  and 
formed  new  combinations,  yet  each  new  one  was 
grander,  more  gorgeous  and  sublime  than  the  one 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          245 

that  preceded  it.    Well  may  people  rhapsodize  over 
the  gorgeousness  of  the  Grand  Canyon  sunsets. 


EL  TOVAR  HOTEL 

As  soon  as  the  sun  had  gone  down  we  turned  our 
attention  to  the  hotel.  What  a  large  and  interesting 
structure  it  is!  It  is  different  from  any  hotel  we 
ever  saw  before.  Built  about  in  the  center  of  the 
curve  of  a  rude  amphitheater,  its  location  is  some- 
what lower  than  the  giant  arms  of  the  amphitheater. 
It  is  close  to  the  rim  and  is  built  in  such  harmonious 
fashion  that  it  does  not  seem  out  of  place  in  its 
rugged  setting,  as  a  hotel  built  on  the  conventional 
lines  certainly  would  do.  The  proper  way  to  see 
it  is  to  walk  about  half  a  mile,  and  then  it  appears 
like  a  large  three-storied  bungalow,  built,  the  first 
story  of  solid  logs  brought  from  far-away  Oregon, 
and  the  upper  stories  of  heavy  planking  and  shingles, 
all  stained  to  a  weather-beaten  brown  that  harmo- 
nizes with  the  gray-green  of  the  trees  which  form 
its  immediate  background. 

In  architecture  it  reminds  one  somewhat  of  the 
pictures  seen  of  Swiss  chalets,  and  also  of  Norwegian 
mansions.  We  wondered  whether  it  was  a  " dressy" 
hotel  and  whether  all  the  lady  and  gentleman  visitors 
felt  that  they  had  to  " dress  for  dinner."  We  soon 
found  out,  however,  that  there  were  no  such  conven- 
tional restrictions.  While  everybody  dressed  nicely, 
nobody  seemed  to  care  how  anybody  else  dressed,  and 
there  was  perfect  freedom  and  good-fellowship 
without  the  restrictions  of  a  conventional  city  hotel. 


246  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

There  was  a  picture-room  and  news-stand  where 
most  beautiful  photographs,  sketches  and  paintings 
of  the  canyon  and  the  Indians  could  be  purchased, 
and  a  large  hall  decorated  with  interesting  and  strik- 
ing heads  of  elk,  mountain-sheep,  mountain-lions, 
deer  and  antelope.  The  floors  were  covered  with 
beautiful  Navaho  blankets. 

It  was  soon  dinner-time  and  we  were  shown  to 
our  rooms.  They  were  just  as  comfortable  and  cozy 
as  they  could  be,  and  yet  by  cozy  I  do  not  mean  small, 
for  they  were  large  and  airy.  We  had  a  fine  bath- 
room attached  to  our  bedroom,  and  in  five  minutes 
were  enjoying  a  good  hot  bath.  We  dressed  quickly, 
in  order  not  to  be  late  at  dinner,  and  then  all  of  us 
sat  together  at  a  table  provided  for  us  in  the 
dining-room. 

Professor  Young  occupied  the  head  of  the  table 
and  Dr.  James  was  at  the  foot.  And  what  a  good 
dinner  they  gave  us !  But  that  was  nothing  new,  as 
El  Tovar  is  one  of  the  Fred  Harvey  hotels,  and  all 
the  way  along  from  Chicago  we  had  been  learning 
why  they  have  gained  such  a  great  reputation.  Every 
meal  seemed  to  be  better  than  the  one  preceding  it. 

The  dining-room  is  quadrangular  in  form,  ninety 
feet  long  by  forty  feet  wide,  and  arched  overhead. 
The  roof  is  supported  by  six  huge  log  trusses.  Every- 
thing is  finished  in  rough  wood  dyed  as  brown  as 
the  coffee-berry.  Two  massive  fireplaces  built  of 
gray  sandstone  stand  one  at  each  end.  It  is  lighted 
by  electric  light,  and  through  the  triple  windows 
we  looked  out  to  see  the  brilliant  Arizona  stars. 
How  clear  the  sky  was ! 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 


247 


Though  we  had  a  good  dinner,  we  did  not  linger 
over  it  too  long,  as  we  were  all  wishing  to  get  another 
glimpse  of  the  canyon  before  going  to  bed,  and  Dr. 
James  told  us  that  tomorrow  we  were  going  out  to 
Grand  View  Point  and  beyond. 


ANGEL  PLATEAU,  BELOW  EL  TOVAR  HOTEL,  GRAND  CANYON  OF 

ARIZONA 


OUT   TO  GRAND  VIEW   POINT   AND   BEYOND 

EL  TOVAR  is  provided  with  a  magnificently  equipped 
stable,  with  saddle-horses,  mules,  pack-burros,  car- 
riages, buggies,  tallyhoes,  etc.,  and  it  was  planned 
for  us  that  in  the  morning  we  should  ride  in  a  tallyho 
sixteen  miles  to  the  east,  to  the  magnificent  outlook 
known  as  Grand  View  Point,  and  then  still  farther 


248  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

east  on  saddle-horses  that  were  to  be  taken  on  ahead 
to  be  ready  for  us  on  our  arrival. 

We  were  a  happy  and  buoyant  lot  as  we  climbed 
into  the  tallyho,  and  there  was  a  good-natured  fight 
as  to  who  should  ride  with  the  driver.  I  was  one 
of  the  fortunate  ones.  The  drive  was  through 
scrubby-looking  juniper  and  pinion  trees,  and  a  little 
distance  out  we  turned  towards  the  canyon  rim  to 
get  the  view  from  Yavapai  Point.  This  point  is  only 
three  miles  from  the  hotel,  yet  it  is  amazing  how 
different  the  canyon  looks  than  when  seen  from  the 
hotel.  Here  we  caught  two  distinct  glimpses  of  the 
river.  To  the  far-away  east  we  could  see  where  the 
Little  Colorado  enters  into  the  main  Colorado  River ; 
and  in  the  heart  of  the  canyon  were  two  majestic 
buttes,  one  with  a  flat  top,  called  Wotan's  Throne, 
with  an  elevation  of  7,700  feet,  and  the  other,  Vishnu 
Temple,  wonderfully  carved  by  centuries  of  erosion, 
7,537  feet  high.  Just  in  front  of  "Wotan's  Throne  is 
Angel  Gate.  It  received  this  name  as  follows :  Long 
ago  there  was  a  great  and  wise  Indian  chief,  whose 
wife  died.  He  mourned  for  her  and  would  not  be 
comforted  until  Ta-vwoats,  one  of  the  Indian  gods, 
came  and  told  him  that  she  had  gone  to  a  happier 
and  more  beautiful  land.  He  offered  to  take  the 
chief  there  if  he  would  pledge  himself  to  mourn  no 
more  on  his  return.  He  received  the  promise  and 
brought  the  chief  down  a  rough,  wild  and  rocky  trail 
which  he  had  made  between  the  mountains,  and  took 
him  to  the  fair  land  of  Southern  California,  where 
the  wife  wras  found  dwelling  happily  with  other  dis- 
embodied spirits.  After  their  return  the  god  turned 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES    249 

the  great  river  into  the  trail  he  had  made,  in  order 
to  prevent  the  Indians  from  visiting  the  favored  land 
without  his  permission.  But  he  promised  that  at 
some  future  time  he  would  come  again  and  lead  the 
Indians  into  this  beautiful  land.  So  now  every  year 
at  a  certain  time  the  medicine  men  of  different  tribes 
meet  at  a  certain  place  on  the  north  rim  of  the  canyon 
and  there  watch  for  the  coming  of  the  god.  As  he  is 
to  appear  through  this  gateway,  it  was  deemed 
appropriate  to  give  it  the  name  of  Angel  Gate. 

While  we  were  listening  to  this  story  we  were 
driven  along  until,  shortly  before  reaching  Grand 
View  Hotel,  we  came  to  an  amphitheater  where  stand 
two  remarkable  pillars  of  erosion,  Pompey's  Pillar 
and  Thor's  Hammer.  The  hotel  is  a  log  structure 
and  has  a  frame  annex,  and  the  view  from  either 
building  is  a  remarkable  one ;  but  we  drove  right  out 
to  Grand  View  Point.  Here  it  seems  as  if  the  canyon 
were  widened  out  and  also  scooped  out,  so  that  we  got 
a  clearer  and  fuller  view  not  only  of  the  river,  but  of 
a  vast  assemblage  of  gigantic  towers,  temples,  buttes, 
walls,  obelisks,  cloisters  and  abutments.  We  stayed 
here  for  a  couple  of  hours  enjoying  the  expansive 
view  to  the  full. 

After  a  picnic  lunch  we  all  took  to  the  saddle, 
and,  though  none  of  us  were  expert  riders,  we  were 
soon  galloping  through  one  of  the  beautiful  parks 
that  line  the  canyon  as  we  proceeded  farther  east. 
Three  miles  from  Grand  View  we  reached  the  cabin 
of  John  Hance,  one  of  the  old  Grand  Canyon  guides, 
and  a  remarkable  story-teller  whose  funny  and  fan- 
tastic stories  have  been  repeated  until  he  has  gained 


250 


A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 


national  fame.  Near  by  is  a  trail  known  by  his 
name,  and  down  it  Dr.  James  says  he  made  his  first 
visit  to  the  Grand  Canyon,  over  twenty  years  ago. 
Here  we  saw  the  wonderful  Three  Castles  and  Ayer 
Peak,  with  other  stupendous  monuments,  and  then 
rode  on  to  the  head  of  Red  Canyon  trail.  But  we 


AYER  PEAK,  NEAR  OLD  HANCE  TRAIL,  GRAND  CANYON  OF 

ARIZONA 


were  bound  for  a  still  further  ride  and  pushed  on 
east  until  we  came  to  Moran  Point,  so  named  because 
it  was  here  that  Thomas  Moran,  the  great  artist, 
painted  one  of  his  marvelous  pictures  of  the  Grand 
Canyon.  Two  miles  beyond  Moran  Point  is  Zuni 
Point,  and  still  farther  Navaho  Point,  Desert  View, 
Comanche  Point,  and  Cape  Solitude. 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          251 

By  this  time  a  number  of  us  were  very  tired  with 
our  ride,  and  we  wondered  how  we  were  going  to 
get  back.  But  we  were  delighted  to  learn  that  this 
was  to  be  another  camping-out  trip,  and  that  we  were 
to  sleep  out.  Our  blankets  had  been  sent  for  the 
purpose  on  pack-burros.  Already  a  negro  cook  was 
busy  getting  our  supper  ready  by  a  camp-fire,  while 
some  little  distance  off  a  bonfire  had  been  built  for 
us  and  our  blankets  were  being  stretched  out  on  the 
ground  in  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  Pro- 
fessor and  Mrs.  Young.  What  a  delightful  surprise ! 
Nobody  had  said  a  word  to  us  about  it,  yet  there  we 
were  in  this  solitary  spot  and  going  to  sleep  out  again 
in  the  open  air,  with  the  promise  of  two  or  three 
nights'  camping  in  the  canyon.  After  a  hearty 
supper  we  took  another  look  at  the  canyon  by  sunset, 
and  then  sat  around  the  camp-fire  while  Dr.  James 
told  us  Indian  legends  of  the  canyon  and  then  induced 
the  young  men  who  had  come  to  take  care  of  our 
horses  to  tell  us  some  of  their  experiences.  What  a 
wild,  exciting  life  that  of  an  Arizona  cowboy  must  be ! 
These  experiences  which  were  so  remarkable  to  us 
were  a  part  of  their  everyday  life,  and  they  laughed 
at  the  notions  we  expressed.  When  the  time  came 
we  were  all  ordered  off  to  bed,  and  Mrs.  Young 
laughingly  told  us  to  "  close  the  door  and  keep  out 
the  drafts." 

As  soon  as  I  was  comfortably  ensconced  in  my 
blanket,  my  eyes  instinctively  sought  the  stars.  They 
seemed  larger,  nearer,  clearer  and  more  beautiful 
than  I  had  ever  seen  them  before,  and  now  and  again 
a  falling  star  made  a  brilliant  flash  of  light  through 


252  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

the  dark  as  almost  to  startle  me.  How  calm  and 
serene  the  stars  were!  I  think  I  can  now  see  why 
Dr.  James  loves  so  much  to  live  out  in  this  wild 
country,  sleeping  in  the  open  all  the  time. 

During  the  night  wre  were  awakened  by  what 
seemed  to  be  the  barks,  yelps,  howls,  cries  and  Avails 
of  a  thousand  or  more  coyotes,  but  we  were  solemnly 
assured  that  all  that  noise  and  racket  was  made  by 
not  more  than  three  or  four  of  those  cowardly 
animals. 

Before  sunrise  we  were  all  awakened,  and,  though 
the  air  was  crisp,  we  hurried  to  the  Point  in  order 
to  get  all  the  effect  of  the  sunrise,  which  we  expected 
would  be  unusually  beautiful  on  account  of  the  banks 
of  clouds  that  appeared  in  the  heavens. 

One  would  have  to  have  the  power  of  a  John 
Ruskin  or  a  Joaquin  Miller  to  describe  that  wonder- 
ful sunrise.  When  the  morning  did  fully  break  and 
the  whole  canyon  was  flooded  with  light,  we  thought 
how  perfectly  truthful  a  description  were  the  words 
of  Browning  as  quoted  to  us : 

"Day  boils  at  last: 

Boils,  pure  gold,  o'er  the  cloud-cup's  brim 
Where  spurting  and  suppressed  it  lay, 
For  not  a  froth-flake  touched  the  rim 
Of  yonder  gap  in  the  solid  gray 
Of  the  eastern  cloud,  an  hour  away ; 
But  forth  one  wavelet,  then  another,  curled. 
Till  the  whole  sunrise,  not  to  be  suppressed, 
Rose,  reddened,  and  its  seething  breast 
Flickered  in  bounds,  grew  gold,  then  overflowed 
the  world." 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 


253 


After  breakfast  we  took  another  general  survey 
of  the  canyon  at  this  point.  The  scene  is  no  more 
like  that  presented  at  El  Tovar  than  Broadway,  New 
York,  is  like  Market  Street,  San  Francisco.  Of 
course  it  was  all  rocky  scenery,  but  so  entirely  dif- 


COLORADO    RIVER,    NEAR    FOOT    OF    BASS    TRAIL,    GRAND    CANYON 

OF   ARIZONA 


ferent!  Here,  for  miles,  we  could  see  the  winding 
course  of  the  Colorado  River  as  it  dashed  between 
the  walls  of  Marble  Canyon.  To  our  right  were  the 
beautifully  colored  Echo  Cliffs,  while  stretching 
off  towards  the  far-away  horizon  was  the  Painted 
Desert.  Close  by  we  could  see  where  the  Little  Colo- 
rado joins  the  main  Canyon  coming  in  from  the 


254  A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 

south ;  while  to  the  left  were  Vishnu  Temple,  Wotan's 
Throne,  Solomon's  Temple,  and  a  score  of  other 
buttes  carved  and  sculptured  by  Nature  in  the  heart 
of  the  canyon.  Surely  no  band  of  school  children 
that  ever  lived  were  privileged  to  gaze  upon  a  more 
wonderful  scene  than  were  we ! 


DOWN  THE  RED  CANYON  TRAIL 

IT  WAS  nearly  noon  before  we  left,  so  each  of  us  was 
given  a  "hand  lunch"  to  eat  as  we  liked.  To  our 
delight,  we  then  found  that  we  were  to  be  taken  down 
the  Bed  Canyon  trail,  there  to  camp  at  night  close 
by  the  side  of  the  rapids  of  the  raging,  swirling, 
turbulent,  dashing,  muddy  Colorado. 

It  took  -us  all  the  afternoon  to  ride  back  and 
descend  the  Red  Canyon  trail.  My!  my!  I  little 
thought  that  animals  could  be  found  that  were  strong 
and  sure-footed  enough  to  take  people  down  such 
trails  as  that.  Dr.  James  told  us  that,  as  a  rule, 
tourists  are  brought  out  by  this  trail  rather  than 
taken  down  it,  as  it  is  easier  to  ride  up  a  steep  trail 
than  to  ride  down. 

How  the  trail  winds  and  twists  around  in  places ! 
Ahead  of  us  went  the  pack-mules  and  burros,  one 
or  two  of  them  having  bells  round  their  necks  which 
clanged  and  jangled  at  every  step.  We  can  now 
understand  how  careful  the  "boys"  must  be  in  fixing 
the  packs  upon  the  backs  of  these  animals,  for  if 
they  were  carelessly  adjusted,  the  heavy  loads  would 
pitch  the  poor  creatures  forward  when  they  descend 
some  of  the  steep  places  that  occur  on  the  trail. 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES    255 

Several  times  we  got  off  and  walked,  and  three 
or  four  times  when  we  came  to  places  where  we  could 
all  stop,  Dr.  James  gave  us  a  most  interesting  talk 
about  the  peculiar  rock  formations  that  were  shown 
on  either  side.  He  informed  us  that  the  lowest  series 
of  strata  found  in  Red  Canyon  are  known  as  the 
Algonkian,  and  that  they  are  supposed  to  be  the  oldest 
stratified  rocks  in  the  world.  He  showred  us  how  the 
geologists  tell  that,  although  there  are  now  only  frag- 
ments left  of  these  strata,  about  five  hundred  feet  in 
height,  they  clearly  indicate  that  at  one  time  they 
were  twelve  thousand  feet  thick  at  this  point.  When 
we  asked  where  the  other  eleven  thousand  five  hun- 
dred feet  had  gone,  he  said  that  they  were  washed 
away  in  prehistoric  times,  and  that  possibly  their 
destruction  helped  to  supply  the  sand  for  the  great 
Mohave  and  Colorado  deserts  in  Southern  Califor- 
nia. He  then  went  on  to  tell  us  that  geologists  claim 
that  in  the  neighborhood  of  twenty-six  thousand  five 
hundred  feet  of  strata,  in  addition  to  the  five  thou- 
and  feet  that  still  remain  at  the  Canyon,  were  de- 
posited in  the  early  centuries  of  the  world's  history 
and  have  since  been  entirely  swept  away.  It  scarcely 
seems  possible,  but  the  scientists  who  have  studied 
the  canyon  affirm  that  it  is  so  . 

No  wonder  that  after  we  had  had  our  camp-out 
supper  and  were  once  more  stretched  out  in  our 
blankets  under  the  brilliant  stars,  with  the  sullen 
roar  of  the  Colorado  Elver  in  our  ears,  the  marvel 
and  awe  of  it  all  kept  us  wide  awake  that  night ! 

In  the  morning  we  were  treated  to  another 
pleasant  surprise.  Though  telling  us  nothing  about  it. 


256  A  LITTLE  JOUKNEY  TO 

Mrs.  Young  had  secured  bathing  suits  from  the  hotel, 
and  with  Professor  Young,  Dr.  James  and  three  of 
the  " cowboys"  who  had  promised  to  go  swimming 
with  us  and  protect  us  from  personal  danger,  we 
were  to  enjoy  the  unique  and  strange  experience  of 
a  swim  in  the  Colorado  Eiver  in  the  heart  of  the 
Grand  Canyon.  There  was  a  wild,  raging,  dashing, 
splashing  rapid  a  little  below  where  we  were  to  go  in, 
but  the  river  makes  a  kind  of  sheltering  curve  at  this 
point,  so  that  we  were  shown  that  if  we  kept  within 
certain  limits  we  could  swim  to  our  heart's  content 
and  in  perfect  safety.  How  delicious  the  water  was, 
and  how  soothing  to  our  bodies,  somewhat  wearied 
as  they  were  with  the  unusual  exercise  of  horseback 
riding.  We  enjoyed  thoroughly  our  swim  and  paddle 
in  the  water,  and  it  gave  us  such  an  appetite  for 
breakfast  that  we  were  almost  ashamed  when,  after 
having  received  such  an  abundant  first  helping  of 
everything,  we  had  to  ask  for  more.  After  break- 
fast we  watched  with  a  great  deal  of  interest  the 
packing  up  of  the  cooking  utensils,  our  bedding,  and 
the  few  provisions  that  remained. 

After  a  pack-saddle  is  put  on,  the  smaller  and 
heavier  articles  that  are  to  be  packed  are  placed  in 
two  boxes  made  of  light  wood  and  rawhide  with  the 
hair  still  left  on.  These  boxes  are  called  ~kyaxes.  They 
are  suspended  to  the  pack-saddle  by  means  of  a  rope 
securely  fastened  at  each  end,  one  on  each  side  of 
the  animal.  The  bulkier  articles,  such  as  camp- 
kettles,  coffeepots,  etc.,  are  then  put  partially  in  the 
kyaxes  and  partly  resting  on  the  pack-saddle,  and 
above  these  is  piled  the  bedding  and  light  stuff,  the 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES          257 

whole  pack  being  covered  with  a  stout  canvas.  Now 
comes  the  process  of  tying  it  on,  and  this  is  done  in 
a  peculiar  and  interesting  manner  known  to  Western- 
ers as  "throwing  the  diamond  hitch,"  which  is 
regarded  as  the  final  test  of  a  man's  full  abandon- 
ment of  the  title  "tenderfoot."  No  tenderfoot  can 
throw  a  diamond  hitch,  and  as  soon  as  he  learns  to 
do  that  he  is  called  a  tenderfoot  no  longer. 

Packs  all  on,  the  signal  to  start  was  given,  and 
another  surprise  and  delight  was  given  to  us.  We 
were  told  that  we  were  not  to  go  back  the  way  we 
came,  but  were  to  have  the  unusual  experience  of  a 
ride  through  the  canyon,  over  by  the  old  Hance  trail 
and  out  by  the  Grand  View  trail. 

The  ride  took  us  all  day,  for  we  took  our  time 
and  enjoyed  everything  as  we  journeyed  along.  In 
Hance  Canyon  we  were  shown  the  Temple  of  Set, 
named  by  Thomas  Moran,  and  heard  some  interesting 
experiences  of  early  days  from  Dr.  James. 

Then  slowly  we  began  the  upward  climb,  and 
finally  reached  the  Horseshoe  Mesa,  about  half  way 
up  the  Grand  View  trail,  in  time  for  supper.  We 
sat  at  the  same  table  with  the  miners  who  were  taking 
silver  and  copper  ore  out  of  the  mine  a  little  distance 
away.  After  supper,  the  superintendent  took  us 
through  the  mine  and  we  saw  where  tons  of  ore  had 
been  removed,  every  ounce  of  which  had  been  packed 
up  to  the  rim  on  the  back  of  burros,  and  then  hauled 
by  Wagon  to  the  railroad,  twenty  or  more  miles  away, 
for  shipment  to  the  smelters. 

When  we  returned  we  found  our  blankets  were 
already  spread  out  not  far  from  the  miners'  cabins; 


258  A  LITTLE  JOUKNEY  TO 

but  before  we  went  to  rest  we  had  another  interesting 
experience.  Each  of  us  was  provided  with  a  candle 
and  we  followed  our  leader  over  the  plateau  or  mesa 
to  its  very  edge,  and  then  down  a  somewhat  ticklish 
trail  to  a  narrow  terrace,  where  we  descended  into 
the  mouth  of  a  large  cave.  After  lighting  our  candles 
and  looking  with  wonder  upon  the  different  forma- 
tions that  wrere  presented  in  the  large  and  natural 
entrance  hall,  we  began  to  crawl  through  openings 
which  led  us  into  tremendous  halls,  corridors  and 
chambers,  in  all  of  which  are  stalagmites,  stalactites, 
peculiar  rock-ribbon  formations,  etc.,  speaking  of  the 
silent  action  of  the  centuries;  while  water  charged 
with  lime  has  slowly  trickled  down,  making  these 
interesting  deposits. 

Tired  out,  but  charmed  and  delighted  with  the 
experiences  of  the  day,  and  bewildered  by  the  many 
new  and  wonderful  things  that  we  had  seen,  we 
turned  to  our  out-of-door  bed-chamber  and  were  soon 
sleeping  the  sleep  of  the  young,  happy  and  health- 
fully tired. 

BACK   TO   EL   TOVAR 

WHILE  we  were  up  early  next  morning,  we  were  in 
no  hurry  to  get  away.  We  went  down  to  the  mine 
and  watched  the  packing  of  the  ore  on  twenty  little 
burros  that  stood  winking  and  flapping  their  ears 
while  their  loads  were  adjusted.  Each  animal  was 
required  to  carry  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two 
hundred  pounds.  It  scarcely  seemed  possible,  yet  so 
strong  are  their  sturdy  little  legs  that  when  the  packs 
were  all  finally  adjusted  and  the  leader  of  the  burros 


SOME  STKANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES    259 

started  his  bell  jangling  merrily,  they  all  got  into 
line  and  marched  off  as  steadily  and  sedately  as  if 
they  were  in  a  royal  procession  where  regal  dignity 
was  expected.  Another  string  of  pack-burros  was 
sent  to  the  spring  down  in  the  canyon  to  bring  up 
the  drinking  water  required  at  the  camp.  We  now 
began  to  realize  how  very  useful  and  indispensable 
is  the  burro  in  our  western  country.  Without  him, 
travelling  and  mining  in  such  places  as  the  Grand 
Canyon  would  practically  be  impossible.  How  inter- 
esting it  is  to  watch  the  little  peculiarities  that  in- 
dividualize these  burden-carrying  creatures  that  at 
first  appear  to  be  almost  all  alike!  Our  guide  told 
us  many  interesting  stories  about  them  which,  if  put 
into  book  form,  would  make  as  interesting  a  book  as 
young  people  could  ever  wish  to  read. 

It  was  a  jolly  ride  back  to  El  Tovar,  where  we 
all  regretted  to  take  leave  of  our  ponies.  By  now 
we  began  to  feel  quite  at  home  in  the  saddle.  After 
a  good  night's  rest  we  packed  up,  took  a  last  good 
look  at  the  Canyon,  hastily  visited  Mallery  Grotto— 
a  little  cave  covered  with  Indian  pictographs,  about 
half  a  mile  from  the  hotel — and  then  sorrowfully  said 
farewell  to  the  canyon.  It  seemed  a  pity  that  we  had 
to  leave  this  most  majestic  of  all  the  natural  sights 
we  had  so  far  seen,  but  necessity  compelled.  Our 
journey  was  rapidly  coming  to  a  close.  We  were 
to  visit  the  two  cities  of  Prescott  and  Phoenix,  and 
then  drive  up  to  see  the  great  Roosevelt  dam,  by 
means  of  which  the  waters  of  the  Salt  River  are 
being  impounded  so  that  they  can  be  used  for  irri- 


260  A  LITTLE  JOUKNEY  TO 

gating  the  lands  of  the  valley.    This  would  bring  our 
remarkable  journey  to  an  end. 

Returning  to  Williams,  we  took  the  main  line 
again.  It  was  but  an  hour's  ride  to  Ash  Fork,  where 
we  changed  cars  for  the  branch  road  to  Phoenix. 
The  chief  place  of  interest  in  Ash  Fork  is  the  Esca- 
lante  Hotel,  one  of  the  Fred  Harvey  hotels,  which 
derives  its  name  from  one  of  the  Franciscan  explorers 
who  entered  the  region  of  Arizona  and  Utah  about 


STREET   SCENE   PRESCOTT,   ARIZ. 

the  time  that  Thomas  Jefferson  was  writing  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  The  road  to  Prescott 
took  us  over  an  interesting  and  historic  part  of 
Arizona,  full  of  stories  of  mines,  hairbreadth  escapes 
from  bloodthirsty  Apaches,  and  wonderful  expe- 
riences of  cowboys  and  miners.  We  passed  Jerome 
Junction,  from  which  one  of  the  most  winding  and 
twisting  railways  in  the  world  runs  up  to  Senator 
Clark's  great  copper  mining-camp  of  Jerome,  a 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 


261 


camp  the  original  claim  of  which  was  sold  for  three 
hundred  dollars.  It  afterwards  developed  into  a 
mountain  of  copper  from  which  Senator  Clark  has 
taken  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  ore. 


GENERAL  VIEW   OF    PHOENIX,    SALT    RIVER   VALLEY 


PHOENIX  AND  THE  SALT  RIVER  VALLEY 

Practically  the  end  of  this  road  is  at  Phoenix, 
the  capital  of  Arizona  and  the  chief  city  of  the  Salt 
River  valley.  Its  population  is  between  eighteen  and 
twenty  thousand.  It  is  a  modern  city  in  every  sense 
of  the  word,  and  yet  we  were  surprised  every  now 
and  again  to  meet  with  little  groups  of  Pima  and 


262  A  LITTLE  JOUKNEY  TO 

Maricopa  Indians  who  had  come  to  the  city  from 
their  reservation,  twenty  miles  away,  either  to  sell 
their  baskets  and  pottery  or  to  purchase  supplies. 
There  is  a  beautiful  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building,  and  some 
of  the  bank  and  store  buildings  are  large  and  pre- 


ARIZONA    SCHOOL   OF    MUSIC,    PHOENIX,    ARIZ. 

tentious.  On  the  outskirts  of  the  city  is  the  territorial 
building,  a  striking  structure,  and  the  citizens  were 
just  rejoicing  in  their  newly  acquired  statehood. 

But  our  chief  interest  in  Phoenix  lay  in  the  fact 
that  it  was  in  the  heart  of  the  Salt  River  valley, 
where  is  located  one  of  the  great  irrigation  projects 
of  the  United  States  Reclamation  Service,  which 
started  out  a  few  years  ago  to  redeem  the  valley 
from  its  barren,  desolate  condition  to  one  of  the  most 
fertile  valleys  of  the  world. 

Automobiles  were  provided  for  us  by  the  courtesy 
of  Messrs.  Dwight  B.  Heard  (whose  wife  is  the 
daughter  of  one  of  Chicago's  noted  citizens,  A.  C. 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 


263 


Bartlett)  and  Louis  C.  Hill,  the  supervising  engineer. 
Eapidly  we  were  whirled  around  Phoenix  to  Glen- 
dale,  where  we  saw  the  great  Arizona  ostrich  farm, 
where  hundreds  of  these  tropical  birds  thrive  luxu- 
riously and  are  a  source  of  great  attraction  to 


TERRITORIAL    CAPITAL    BUILDING,    PHOENIX,    ARIZ. 


tourists,  and  where  one  of  the  large  beet-sugar  fac- 
tories of  Arizona  is  located.  We  were  then  taken  to 
Tempe,  where  the  Government's  experimental  date 
farm  was  established  several  years  ago,  which  has 
already  demonstrated  that  dates  can  grow  as  well 
in  Arizona  as  they  do  on  the  oases  in  the  desert  of 
Sahara.  We  tasted  a  number  of  varieties,  all  of 


264 


A  LITTLE  JOUBNEY  TO 


which  were  richer  and  sweeter  than  the  imported 
dates  and  were  certainly  much  more  agreeable  to 
look  at  in  their  fresh  condition  than  those  which  we 
buy  that  have  been  tightly  packed  in  boxes. 

We  passed  through  miles  and  miles  of  orange, 
grape-fruit,  lemon,  peach,  apricot,  fig  and  other 
orchards,  and  through  thousands  of  acres  devoted 


A    BLACKBERRY    PATCH    IN    THE    SALT    RIVER    VALLEY 


to  berries  and  alfalfa.  The  fruit  of  these  orchards 
was  as  charming  to  the  eye  as  it  was  delicious  to  the 
taste,  the  oranges  and  grape-fruit  being  especially 
of  very  fine  quality  and  ripening  earlier  than  those 
that  grow  in  California.  Frost  is  unknown,  and  there 
are  no  pests,  so  that  the  oranges  always  look  clean 
and  beautiful.  Many  thousand  head  of  cattle  are 
annually  brought  into  this  valley  for  the  purpose  of 
being  fattened  for  the  Arizona  and  California  mar- 


SOME  STRANGE  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES 


265 


kets,  the  rich  alfalfa  affording  the  best  kind  of 
fodder  for  them. 

At  Mesa  we  were  hospitably  entertained  by  Dr. 
A.  J.  Chandler  in  a  beautiful  mission  structure 
called  Chandler  Court.  Dr.  Chandler  is  a  pioneer 


ORANGE    GROVE    IN    SALT    RIVER    VALLEY,    NEAR    PHOENIX,    ARIZ. 


in  this  region  and  was  one  of  the  first  to  discover 
the  fact  that  an  immense  amount  of  artesian  water 
was  to  be  had  for  the  boring  in  this  land  that  had 
hitherto  been  regarded  as  an  almost  irreclaimable 
desert.  He  put  in  several  wells,  and  before  the 


266 


A  LITTLE  JOURNEY  TO 


Government  had  begun  its  reclamation  work  he  had 
several  thousands  of  acres  of  alfalfa  land  bearing 
eight  or  more  crops  a  year. 

FROM    MESA    TO   ROOSEVELT   DAM 

WHEN  the  Government  decided  to  undertake  the 
damming  of  the  Salt  River  and  Tonto  Creek,  a  place 


CANAL   NEAR   PHOENIX,    ARIZ.      SALT    RIVER   IRRIGATION    PROJECT 


was  found,  just  below  where  the  two  unite,  where, 
through  a  rugged  mountain  pass,  the  waters  flowed 
down  to  waste  themselves  upon  the  sands  of  the 
desert.  To  reach  this  place  it  was  essential  that  a 
road  should  be  constructed  over  which  all  the  neces- 


SO  MM  NTKANUK   I'I,A<T,S   AND   I'KOIM.KS          Vi'»7 

s.n\  iii.idnnrry  ;nid  supplies  could  he  Imiilrd.  Thr 
ne;ires1  shippmv,  poml  \v;is  Mrsn,  ;uid  Ihr  dnm  silr 
!  \  miles  ;i\\.i\  .  As  WC  \\enl  Owl  tin  ;  i  ".id,  n 
large  .-1111011111  of  Ihr  Inhor  on  which  \v;is  prrl'ormrd 
h\  Ap;iche  Indians,  we  well  iindrrsiood  Ihr  prohlrm 
il  p  resell  led  lo  Ihr  elii'j lire rs.  (  her  nm^cd  inoiiiil.ini 
^eights  .'Mid  do\\n  into  cjuiyoil  dcpihs  il  \\oiind  ils 
Way,  :',i\m:',  us  new  scenic  dcli^his  ;il  <-\ci\  lnrn,  Ho 
lluil  \\c  \\civ  ahnosi  sorn  \vhrn  \\c  ;iri-i\<-d  nl, 
Ihr  d;iin. 

Tins  ni.i     i\r  slruclnrc  is  ..('  solid  nmsonn ,  :':'..» 

Ircl  Ion:',  ;il  Ihc  riVW  l»rd,  liSO  led  oil  lop;  Ihlcknrss 
;il  Ihc  holloin,  inr;isnrrd  up  nnd  down  slrr.'int,  1(jS 
I'rrl  ;  ;ind:'S|  Iccl  ;iho\  c  I  he  lowrsl  round;ilmn  .  Thr 

solid  contents  of  ihc  .I.HM  is  :;'MMOO  cubio  N  arda<   n  la 

nil  nrrhrd  dniu  \\ilh  Ihr  ;nvh  upslrrnni  nn<l  ;i  hritfhl 
of  'J'JO  Iccl  ;iclii;ill\  co\  ci'rd  hy  I  he  \\  ;i  I  cr.  The  \\;ilcr 

shed  supplying  the  water  10  about  6^260  s«|unrr  miles 

in  rxlrnl.      This  d.nn   •  r. -.ih ••;  one  of  I  he   l.n  •••     I    .irl  i 
lirinl  Inki'S  in  Ihr  world,  hem:',  ,d»oiil    I'oiir  miles  \\idc 
hy    Iwrnly   li\r   milrs   loll^1.       I  Is  «M  |  >.i<  1 1  \     is   len    limes. 
greater  Ih.m  Ihr  irrrnl  ( 'rolon   IH-  ci  \  on  ,  \\  lii,  li  sup 

pile-        \r\\       N'nrk      <  'll  \       \\  llll      \\.l!<T.          |  |      colll.'llll         l.lf 

more  water  Ih.'in  is  slorrd  in  Ihr  much  vnmilrd 
Assouan  I  >;im  of  I  he  Cnl  i  h  on  Ihr  I  !pper  Nile.  In 
r.'icl,  Ihere  is  wnlei1  riioiij-h  slol'ed  Ihnv  lo  f'OVef  I  hr 
\\hole  ,sl;ile  of  I)el;i\\;ire  \\llll  \\;iler  over  ;i  fool  drrji, 
Or  tO  fill  a  Canal  1  hive  hundred  feel  wide  ;md  miiclceii 
led  deep,  exlendiii"  I  ioi,i  (  'hi. -;r'..  I-  Snu  Kr;iiicisro. 
K'diirnin^  lo  M<-,;i,  Ihr  sprrinl  pnrl  of  our  Inp 

rildrd.  \\'e  wrlil  oil  lo  Mnrieopn  JlllK'lloll,  look  Ihr 
Soiilheni  I'nrifir  SllllSel  I  Cm  1 1  r  I  rn  I II  1 1 .  K  I 


268 


A  LITTLE  JOUBNEY  TO 


thence  to  Chicago,  where  the  most  wonderful  trip 
ever  enjoyed  by  school  children  was  brought  to  a  close. 
In  talking  with  our  fellow  student  travelers  since 
our  return,  we  feel  that  we  have  all  learned,  in  the 
most  forceful  manner  possible,  several  important 


THE    ROOSEVELT    DAM,    NEARING    COMPLETION,    ARIZONA 


lessons.  These  are :  1.  That  our  country  is  immensely 
greater  and  more  wonderful  than  we  had  hitherto 
dreamed.  2.  That  there  are  other  civilizations  than 
that  of  the  so-called  Anglo-Saxon,  existing  in  this  our 
country,  side  by  side,  and,  therefore,  that  no  one  form 


SOME  STKANGB  PLACES  AND  PEOPLES         269 

of  civilization  is  necessary  for  mankind.  3.  That 
while  we  may  teach  the  Mexicans  and  Indians  many 
things,  they  likewise  may  teach  us  many  things  that 
we  can  learn  to  our  profit.  4.  As  we  looked  on  the 
Roosevelt  Dam  and  surveyed  the  land  its  waters  were 
to  reclaim,  and  thought  of  the  happiness  it  would 
produce  to  so  large  a  number  of  our  citizens  and  their 
families,  we  were  compelled  to  realize  the  superiority 
of  the  works  of  peace  over  those  of  war.  5.  We 
have  learned  that  the  vastnesses  of  Nature  have 
aroused,  awakened,  brought  into  being,  as  it  were, 
corresponding  largenesses  in  our  own  souls,  so  that 
our  lives  henceforth  can  never  be  as  small  as  they 
might  have  been  had  this  wonderful  and  revealing 
trip  not  been  provided  for  us. 


INDEX 


Page 

Acoma,  N.  Mex.,  History  of 100 

Acoma  Trail,  The 97 

Adama  and  the  Petrified  Forest.  .  .  202 

Agua  Fria  Crater 164 

Albuquerque,  N.  Mex.,  The  City  of.  62 

Angel  Plateau,  The 243 

Believers  in  Witchcraft 196 

Buffalo  Plains,  The 40 

Chorus,  The  Indian 122 

Cliff    and    Cave    Dwellings,    Flag- 
staff, Ariz 2d6 

Cliff  Dwellings,  Puy<§,  N.  Mex 57 

Coming  of  St.  James  to  Spain,  The  110 
Crater,  Agua  Fria 164 

Distribution  of  the  Gifts,  The 123 

Don  Manuel,  The  Story  of 131 

El  Moro  Inscription  Rock 171 

El  Tovar  Hotel,  Grand  Canyon.  .  .  245 
Enchanted  Mesa,  The 88 

Fiesta  of  San  Esteban,  The 113 

Fisher's  Peak,   Trinidad,  Colo 8 

Flagstaff,  Ariz 235 

Gallup,  N.  Mex 201 

Glorieta  Mountains 41 

Grand  Canyon,  Ariz 238 

Grand  View  Point 247 

Holbrook  and  Winslow 211 

Hopis  and  Their  Snake  Dance. . . .   214 

Indian  Chorus,  The 122 

Indian  Cooking   79 

Indian  Village  of  Zuni,  The 178 

Inscription  Rock 170 

Isleta,  Pueblo  of 68 

Katzimo  or  the  Enchanted  Mesa. .  88 
Katzimo,  The  Story  of 90 

Laguna,  Pueblo  of 73 

Las  Vegas,  N.  Mex 36 

Las  Vegas  Hot  Springs 39 

Lava,    Rivers   of 162 

Lowell   Observatory    235 

Maxwell  Land  Grant,  The 33 

Maxwell,  Lucien  B.,  Experiences  of  34 
Mesa  to  Roosevelt  Dam,  From.  . .  .  266 
Meteorite  Mountain,  The 212 


Page 

Mountain  Drive,  A 43 

Mount  San  Mateo 137 

Navaho  Blankets,  Weaving  of 149 

Navaho  Indians,  The 147 

New  Mexico,  University  of 66 

Oraibi,  Ariz 224 

Origin  of  the  Navahoes,  The 151 

Penitentes   21 

Petrified  Bridge,   Ariz.,  The 205 

Petrified  Forest,  Ariz.,   The 204 

Phoenix  and  the  Salt  River  Valley  261 

Pueblo  Ruins 55 

Quicksand,   Caught  in 221 

Rabbit-Hunt,    A 69 

Raton,    N.    Mex 20 

Raton  Pass,    N.   Mex 18 

Red  Canyon  Trail,  The 254 

Roosevelt   Dam,    The 266 

Saint  James  to  Spain,  The  Coming 

of    110 

Salt  River  Valley 261 

San  Esteban,  The  Fiesta  of 113 

San  Mateo,  N.  Mex 135 

San  Rafael,  N.  Mex 161 

Sand  Storm,  A  Desert 233 

Santa  Fe,  N.  Mex 49 

Santa  Fe  Trail,  The  Old 29 

Scenic  Highway,  The 43 

Simpson's  Rest,  Trinidad,  Colo...  10 

Story  of  a  "Civilized"  Indian 118 

Summit  of  Mount  San  Mateo,  The  141 

Uncle   Dick  Wooton 13 

U.   S.  Indian  School,  Albuquerque, 
N.   Mex 67 

Water-Rock,  N.  Mex.,  A  Historic..  128 

Wewa,  a  Zuni   Indian 198 

Wheat-Threshing  by   Laguna 

Indians   76 

Williams,    Ariz 238 

Winslow,  Holbrook  and 211 

Witchcraft,   Believers  in 196 

Wooton,  Uncle  Dick 13 

Zuni,  N.  Mex.,  The  Indian  Village 

of 176 

Zuni  Fetiches 61,  183 

Zuni  Philosophy    183 


270 


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HEROES  OF  CALIFORNIA.  515  pages,  with  eighty  illustrations.  $2.00 
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THE  GRAND  CANYON  OF  ARIZONA;  HOW  TO  SEE  IT.  An  entirely 
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pictures.  $1.50  net;  postpaid,  $1.63. 

IN  AND  AROUND  THE  GRAND  CANYON  OF  THE  COLORADO  RIVER 
IN  ARIZONA.  Mr.  James'  original  and  instructive  work  on  the  Grand 
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IN  AND  OUT  OF  THE  OLD  MISSIONS  OF  CALIFORNIA.  An  Historical 
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the  subject.  392  pages,  with  142  illustrations  from  photographs  show- 
ing the  architecture,  the  interior  decorations,  furniture,  pulpits,  crosses 
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THE  WONDERS  OF  THE  COLORADO  DESERT  (Southern  California). 
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For   Sale  by 

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Rp  clues 


Dozens  of  interesting  places 
to  visit—  Pike's  Peak,  Estes 
Park,  Colorado  Springs, 
Manitou,  Royal  Gorge,  Glen- 
wood  Springs,  Denver. 

Dozens  of  things  to  do  — 
mountain  climbing,  trout 
fishing,  bear  hunting,  golfing, 
polo  and  autoing  ;  or  just 
saunter  around  and  get 
tanned 

^  Two  weeks  in  the  cool,  in- 
vigorating Colorado  air  will 
give  you  a  hew  lease  of  life. 

Low-fare,  round-trip  ex- 
cursions all  summer. 

You  will  enjoy  reading  :'A 
Colorado  Summer.' 


Miles  wide,  a  mile  deep, 
and  painted  like  a  sunset.  En 
route  visit  the  Indian  pueblos 
of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona, 
and  spend  a  day  in  the  Pet- 
rified Forest  of  Arizona. 

El  Tovar  hotel,  under 
management  of  Fred  Harvey, 
looks  after  you  when  at  the 
Grand  Canyon.  As  much 
like  a  country  club  as  a  hotel 
can  be. 

Stop  off  here  on  your  way 
to  California.  A  Pullman  to 
the  rim. 

You  will  enjoy  reading 
"Titan  of  Chasms." 


Vadle 


y 


Write  for  our  illustrated 
Summer  travel  books 

and  train  folders. 
W.  J.  Black.  P.  T.  M. 
1119  Railway  Exchange 

Beyond  a  doubt  the  love-  CHICAGO       Bathe  jn  the  blue    padfic 

and  try  deep-sea  fishing. 

Or  perhaps  you  may  enjoy 
golf,  tennis  or  motoring  more. 
California  maintains  miles  of 
smooth,  dustless  roads.  Mag- 
nificent resort  hotels  and 
comfortable  "tent  cities." 

It's  cool  along  the  coast 
all  summer. 

Low-fare  summer  excur- 
sions. Ever  try  the  California 
Limited  ? 

You  will  enjoy  reading 
"  To  California  over  the 
Santa  Fe  Trail." 


liest  of  mountain  valleys. 

In  the  cool  Sierras  of  Cali- 
fornia, a  mile  above  the 
sea,  rimmed  by  sheer  cliffs, 
thousands  of  feet  high. 

Can  you  imagine  a  more 
delightful  vacation  than 
camping  among  its  giant 
redwoods  ? 

Low-fare  summer  excur- 
sions. A  side  trip  from  the 
California  Limited. 

You  will  enjoy  reading 
11  Yosemite  Valley." 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


-EB  24 
MAR   g  1918 

MAR    3  1915 
AUG  6  1919 


JW.  26 1921 


30m-6/14 


YC   15484 


• 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


i 


